Bird Flu Frenzy: New Fears Rise After Bird Flu Detected In Pigs As Human Cases Reportedly Rise

Against the backdrop of the U.S. election, the media and scientists continue to warn of…

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Against the backdrop of the U.S. election, the media and scientists continue to warn of the growing threat of a bird flu pandemic that could storm the United States and the world. Most recently, the latest concern is that there are reports that pigs have been infected with avian influenza, something that ‘experts’ and pundits have been warning would be a real bellwether if this occurs.

On November 4th, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provided an update on the current situation regarding the purported of the country’s first infection a pig with avian influenza.

On Wednesday, October 30, 2024, USDA reported an avian influenza A(H5N1) virus infection in a pig on a backyard farm in Oregon. This is the first time an H5 bird flu infection has been reported in a pig in the United States.

Sequence data from birds in the avian influenza A(H5) virus outbreak on this backyard farm showed no mutations that caused concerns related to disease severity or adaptability to humans. The discovery that an avian influenza A virus has infected a new mammal species is always concerning, especially when the virus is detected in pigs, which are susceptible to influenza viruses circulating in pigs, humans, birds, and other species.

These viruses can swap genes through a process called genetic reassortment, which can occur when two (or more) influenza viruses infect a single host. Reassortment can result in the emergence of new influenza A viruses with new or different properties, such as the ability to spread more easily among animals or people. Reassortment events have happened in pigs in the past. A series of reassortment events in pigs is believed to have caused the 2009 influenza A(H1N1) pandemic.

Based on available information, the risk to the general public remains low; however, CDC is continuing to gather information.

Straight Arrow News reported: ‘Officials said while there are no concerns about the safety of the U.S. pork supply, the positive test is concerning because pigs can get bird flu and human viruses at the same time, which might create strains of the virus that infect humans more easily.’…