HEALTH

For the first time, “very high concentrations” of H5N1 bird flu have been detected in milk; WHO issues a warning

Health experts have reported finding very high quantities of bird flu in milk. According to the World Health Organization, raw cow milk in the US has been linked to bird flu, generally known as H5N1.

Because pasteurized milk is readily accessible in supermarkets and has been treated to eliminate hazardous germs, experts and health authorities advise drinking it. A viral illness known as “bird flu” or “avian influenza” may infect people, birds, and other animals. It may quickly infect people and other animals that come into contact with a carrier, and it is fatal to birds.

According to the World Health Organization, H5N1 was first identified in humans in 1997 and has killed around 60% of individuals who have contracted it. At this point, it has also begun to spread to other animals, such as cats, humans, bears, foxes, mink, and penguins.

Cows were added to the list earlier this month, according to authorities.
Numerous US states are now looking into incidents of infections in dairy cows that have been reported. A individual employed on a dairy farm in Texas was reportedly recuperating from bird flu after exposure to cattle, according to prior reports from the authorities.

According to officials, the most recent occurrences represent a new phase in the virus’s spread among animals. Additionally, raw milk from infected cows has a very high concentration of the virus; researchers are working to determine how long the virus may persist in milk.

India issues a bird flu alarm
Authorities in the district of Alappuzha, Kerala, are concerned due to an epidemic of this dangerous illness. News sources state that when a duck sample tested positive, the illness was verified in the bird species.

The Kerala Animal Husbandry Department has started a number of critical steps to stop the virus’s spread, such as modernizing lab networks, setting up diagnostic centers, and bringing in lateral flow kits for quick field-level illness testing.

Symptoms and indicators
In the event that you suffer from common flu-like symptoms such as:
Cough
diarrhea
breathing problems
High temperature
Headache
Aches in the muscles
Sickness
runny nose
a sore throat
In what way does the infection propagate?
H5N1 was the first avian influenza virus to infect humans, despite the fact that there are other varieties of bird flu. In 1997, the first infection happened in Hong Kong. Handling contaminated chicken was connected to the disease.

Wild ducks naturally carry H5N1, which may transmit readily to farm poultry. Humans get the illness by coming into touch with contaminated bird droppings, nasal secretions, or oral or ocular secretions.

The bird flu cannot be spread by eating properly prepared chicken or eggs from infected birds, although runny eggs should never be offered. When meat reaches an internal temperature of 165ºF, it is deemed safe.

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