It comes as the US deals with an H5N1 outbreak in dairy cattle that has seen the virus spread from mammals to humans for the first time.

  • Drusas@kbin.run
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    45
    ·
    22 days ago

    The victim had no history of exposure to poultry or animals, the WHO said.

    Oh good.

  • Fubarberry@sopuli.xyz
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    25
    ·
    22 days ago

    The victim had no history of exposure to poultry or animals, the WHO said.

    However, they had multiple underlying health conditions and had been in bed for three weeks for other reasons before the bird flu symptoms took hold.

    Before the H5N2 case was confirmed, it was unclear whether it could infect humans.

    Avian flu viruses generally do not infect humans - but there are rare cases of it.

  • protist@mander.xyz
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    18
    ·
    edit-2
    22 days ago

    A lot of doomsaying here, but a big part of what we’re seeing now is the scientific progress we’ve made to more accurately sequence viruses in the moment. Novel flu variants are not a new thing, influenza has been passing back and forth between animals and mutating for thousands of years and has killed tens of millions of people. 30 or even 15 years ago this case, which is likely to be a one-off, would have gone completely unnoticed. The patient also sounds like they might have struggled to survive any flu variant given their comorbid diagnoses

  • Mossy Feathers (They/Them)@pawb.social
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    10
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    22 days ago

    H5N2? There are two of them now? Just how hard is Mother Nature trying to get rid of us? First COVID, then H5N1, H7N9, the realization that warming climates make it easier for viruses to spread, and now there’s an H5N2?

    It seems we have offended God beyond forgiveness and they have turned their back on us. Let us worship the devil in the hope that he will be merciful in our approaching eternal punishment.

    • alekwithak@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      17
      ·
      22 days ago

      It’s not like experts haven’t been sounding the alarm on future pandemics for a while. One president listened and another disassembled his works here we are.

      • Mossy Feathers (They/Them)@pawb.social
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        4
        ·
        edit-2
        22 days ago

        I’m fully aware. I was just really, really hoping we’d manage to dodge the bullet long enough for sanity to fully regain control over politics. Tbh, I’m surprised this was in Mexico and not the US. Between the seemingly unrestricted farm outbreaks and the idiots drinking raw milk specifically because the CDC (or FDA, can’t remember which) told them not to led me to believe that if it happened, it’d happen here first.

        Edit: yes, I’m aware that the US has had multiple human cases of H5N1. This case is unique, however, because they were not exposed to any known disease vector prior to contracting it. That is what I was expecting to happen in the US.

        • 100_kg_90_de_belin @feddit.it
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          22 days ago

          the idiots drinking raw milk

          The health influencers such as Saladino and Paltrow helping turn back the hands of the clock and throwing common sense out the window

    • protist@mander.xyz
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      5
      ·
      22 days ago

      H5N2 is not a new virus, it’s well known to virologists.

      Influenza A virus is classified into subtypes based on the viral proteins haemagglutinin (H) and neuraminidase (N). As of 2019, 18 H subtypes and 11 N subtypes have been identified. Most potential combinations have been reported in birds, but H17-18 and N10-11 have only been found in bats. Only H subtypes H1-3 and N subtypes N1-2 are known to have circulated in humans