Mexico man dies from first human case of bird flu strain H5N2

MicroWave@lemmy.world to News@lemmy.world – 262 points –
Mexico man dies from first human case of bird flu strain H5N2
theguardian.com

Scientists are on alert for signs the virus is adapting to spread more easily among humans, after the WHO announced the death from April

The World Health Organization (WHO) has said a man’s death in Mexico was caused by a strain of bird flu called H5N2 that has never before been found in a human.

The WHO said Wednesday it wasn’t clear how the person became infected. “Although the source of exposure to the virus in this case is currently unknown, A(H5N2) viruses have been reported in poultry in Mexico,” WHO said in a statement.

Scientists are on alert for changes in the virus that could signal that bird flu is adapting to spread more easily among humans.

25

He was previously sick, for weeks, and he wasn't even known to have been around something to have infected him. All the stuff that we most want to know isn't currently known about this story. Don't overreact.:-)

Not having been around something that would obviously infect him is a very, very bad thing.

Therefore it leaves open the fundamental question: can this strain of influenza infect a human with a fully-functioning or even healthy immune system?

He seems like an outlier, not "necessarily" the start of a trend.

But I am no doctor, and it's just a thought.

Or, like covid, can you be asymptomatic and spread it like a mofo?

Unknown... but I guess we'll find out!

(Likely not soon though b/c this isn't the flu season)

They tested everyone he had contact with after he tested positive and couldn't find a single positive so I'd say that remains possible but unlikely at this stage in the viruses life.

It's very common to drink raw milk in Mexico so it's possible it was contracted through there.

That kinda surprises me. A quick look reveals that it seems to be for similar reasons as is being done in the USA - as in, you cannot sell it that way, but ranchers on the farm do it for tradition and a tough guy act to appear strong. Well, it did not help this guy:-(.

From my experience it's because pasteurized milk used to be way less common and very expensive. People in the older generation preferred the taste of raw milk too.

......sounds familiar...

This is what we were told right before COVID, and, well, everyone knows how that turned out

Scientists are on alert for changes in the virus that could signal that bird flu is adapting to spread more easily among humans.

I should certainly hope so. I wonder if I should buy an extra package of toilet paper on my next grocery run.

Ketchup too, for some reason

During the panic buying days, my local grocer was sold out of all canned food except hominy.

Because people would rather starve than eat hominy.

I volunteer at a food pantry above the mason dixon line and we always have a shelf full of the stuff. No one here knows what to do with it and when they try it, even with a recipe, they dont like it.

The store I mentioned is in the Rio Grande Valley. People here know how to cook hominy and would still rather go to the store during a pandemic and return without food than to endure hominy.

EDIT: I didn't buy any, either. Everyone was going for canned food and dried food like the power was gonna go out. I had better luck with frozen food. The valley treats every crisis like it's a hurricane.

Pre covid I remember bird flu and swine flu outbreaks, it's nowhere near the same monster and there's a reason this ones been progressing slowly and mostly only to those with daily prolonged contact to it. Keep an eye on it sure but it looks like more than most laypeople will be spared any huge problems.