Move Over, H5N1—Another Bird Flu Strain Has Arrived in the U.S.

H5N1 isn’t the only version of bird flu that we should be worried about. Animal health officials reported Monday that a highly pathogenic strain of H7N9 bird flu was recently detected on a poultry farm in Mississippi—a different strain from the H5N1 flu spreading among cows and poultry since last year. The World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) published its report on the H7N9 outbreak Monday, based on data provided to it by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and local officials. It’s the first poultry outbreak of H7N9 seen within the U.S. in almost a decade. Highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAI) are a serious public health problem. These viruses spread quickly among wild birds and poultry, often causing widespread die-offs (and why they’re referred to as being highly pathogenic). They can also make the leap to other animal species, including humans. The fear is that one such strain will pick up the wrong mix of mutations that will allow it to spread widely and cause ... Read full article.