Kamal Nahas is a freelance contributor based in Oxford, U.K. His work has appeared in New Scientist, Science and The Scientist, among other outlets, and he mainly covers research on evolution, health and technology. He holds a PhD in pathology from the University of Cambridge and a master's degree in immunology from the University of Oxford.
Bird flu appears to be rising in the U.S., but only among people exposed to infected animals — namely, cows and poultry.
However, the continued spread of H5N1 has raised some questions: Could the germ become deadlier? Could it start spreading between people? And how would we know?Could the virus become deadlier?Since the first H5N1 case in April, infections in the U.S. have occurred mostly among dairy or poultry farmworkers, all of whom have experienced mild symptoms, such as eye redness or cough. At a CDC news conference held Oct. 24, Eric Deeble of the U.S.
One study found mutations in several genes that may boost the virus's virulence, including a gene that codes for hemagglutinin, a protein that helps the virus enter cells, and a gene for a protein that helps the virus replicate. Could we be missing cases?Public health laboratories are testing for H5N1 in people exposed to infected animals, such as cows and birds, and people who test positive for flu but negative for seasonal flu varieties, like the Missouri patient. The CDC has then been following up on any positive test results with confirmatory tests.
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