Bird flu has now jumped to cows - and their milk. Could humans be next? | BBC Science Focus Magazine
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Avian flu is infecting cows across the US via cow-to-cow transmission. Here's what you need to know about the bird flu spread.

A strain of bird flu known as H5N1 or highly pathogenic avian influenza has made a worrying leap to cattle herds across the US over the past month. This development has sparked “enormous concern” among health experts, including the World Health Organization’s (WHO) chief scientist, who warned of the virus’ “extremely high” mortality rate in humans.

  • Riccosuave@lemmy.world
    0·
    2 years ago

    If H5N1 continues to rapidly mutate and makes the jump to human to human transmission in the same way it has with bovine hosts we are in for a rough ride. A virus with a 50% mortality rate will unquestionably collapse the global medical system, and the global economy right behind it.

      • Riccosuave@lemmy.world
        0·
        2 years ago

        Here you go:

        “From 2003 to 2024, 889 cases and 463 deaths caused by H5N1 have been reported worldwide from 23 countries, according to the WHO, putting the case fatality rate at 52%.”

        Source: The Guardian

          • tal@lemmy.todayOPEnglish
            0·
            2 years ago

            I dunno about 50%, but Native Americans had a >90% mortality from European disease at the time of the Columbian Exchange, and it messed them up pretty badly.

            The Black Death killed maybe 50% of Europe’s population.

            https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Death

            The Black Death was the second great natural disaster to strike Europe during the Late Middle Ages (the first one being the Great Famine of 1315–1317) and is estimated to have killed 30% to 60% of the European population, as well as approximately 33% of the population of the Middle East.

            That didn’t end European civilization, but it was a cataclysmic event, left huge scars.

            Though they also had shorter supply chains and such, were maybe more-resilient to disruption.