Usually found in birds, the H5N1 virus has spread to more than thirty cattle farms in different American states. Although it does not appear to be very dangerous for humans, the WHO recommends respecting certain prerogatives, reports Le Figaro.
Avian flu puts the United States on alert. Contrary to usual, the H5N1 virus is not spreading in poultry farms, but in cattle. A month and a half ago, it appeared on a dairy farm located in Texas, reports Le Figaro. Since then, it has been present in nine American states and has affected 39 farms. However, no animal would have died.
As for how the virus managed to get into cows, Bruno Lina, virologist and director of the national influenza reference center, indicates that “the first contamination is probably linked to the fact that in the United States, some breeders feed their cows with litter used for birds”. However, the way in which it spread still remains unclear, adds the daily. However, “a study not yet published suggests that the epithelial cells in the udder have receptors close to those which promote the multiplication of the virus in birds”details Jean-Luc Guérin, professor of avian pathology at the national veterinary school of Toulouse, at Figaro. Which could be a trail leading, among other things, to milkers.
Moderate but concrete risks
In the United States, several people have complained of symptoms, mainly with “redness of the eyes” according to the authorities, similar to that caused by conjunctivitis, underlines BFMTV. Of more than 220 people tested, only one, a Texas farmer, was infected. The patient was isolated and treated using an antiviral medication used for the flu, the news channel said. According to Professor Lina’s findings, “the most likely scenario is that this individual became contaminated by touching his eyes after handling the udders of a cow or a milker”.
The risks would be, given the low contamination, particularly between humans, rather reduced for humans. However, if the virus lodges in the pulmonary alveolus and not in the eye, the consequences can be more serious than simple conjunctivitis, alert The Dispatch. According to the WHO, 463 people died from it between 2003 and April 1, 2024. Consuming dairy products would not be too risky either, since pasteurization kills the virus. The WHO, however, recommends not consuming products that have not been subject to the process developed by Louis Pasteur, nor eating undercooked meat, continues Le Figaro. Currently, no trace of this strain of the virus has been found in Europe, the daily attests.
