Health
Bird flu patient had virus mutations, sparking concern about human spread
The patient in Louisiana who was hospitalized with severe bird flu illness was found to have a mutated version of the virus, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced last week.
The fact that the virus mutated within the patient suggests that it could potentially spread from human to human.
The CDC analyzed samples of the H5N1 virus that were collected from the patient, comparing its genomic sequences to those of infected dairy cows, wild birds, poultry and other animals, the agency stated.
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“The analysis identified low frequency mutations in the hemagglutinin gene of a sample sequenced from the patient, which were not found in virus sequences from poultry samples collected on the patient’s property, suggesting the changes emerged in the patient after infection,” the CDC said.
The patient in Louisiana who was hospitalized with severe bird flu illness was found to have a mutated version of the virus, the CDC announced. (iStock)
“While these low frequency changes are rare in humans, they have been reported in previous cases of A(H5N1) in other countries and most often during severe disease.”
Based on the discovery of these genetic changes in the virus, health officials recommend performing “ongoing genomic surveillance” in people and animals, taking steps to contain bird flu outbreaks among dairy cattle and poultry, and taking steps to prevent transmission when exposed to infected animals or environments.
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The CDC maintains that the risk to the general public is still low.
“The same mutations were not present in viral genomes sampled from the backyard birds that presumably infected the individual,” Samuel Scarpino, director of AI and life sciences and professor of health sciences at Northeastern University in Boston, confirmed to Fox News Digital.
The CDC analyzed samples of the H5N1 virus that were collected from the patient, comparing its genomic sequences to those of infected dairy cows, wild birds, poultry and other animals. (iStock)
“Because the mutations were present in the human patient, but not the backyard birds, this suggests that the mutations arose during the course of that individual’s infection.”
Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Health and Fox News senior medical analyst, told Fox News Digital, shared his thoughts on the significance of this finding.
“Each human infection represents a spin of the epidemic roulette wheel.”
“It is somewhat concerning that the H5N1 bird flu virus found in the Louisiana patient showed a mutation that allowed it to enter the upper airways more easily in this patient, but this mutation has been seen before,” he told Fox News Digital.
The good news, the doctor noted, is that there have not been any reports of the Louisiana patient transmitting the virus to other humans.
“It is important that surveillance among domestic poultry and dairy cattle is extensive,” Dr. Marc Siegel told Fox News Digital. (Photo by Uli Deck/picture alliance via Getty Images)
“We know the mutations to look out for in terms of the potential to spread among humans” based on previous research, Siegel said.
“It is important that surveillance among domestic poultry and dairy cattle is extensive,” he added.
Scarpino agreed that while the mutations are “concerning,” they “likely do not represent an increased risk to the public.”
“Similar events — mutations arising during infection that increase risk in humans — occurred with the individual who was infected with H5N1 from wild birds in Canada and have happened a number of times during previous H5N1 outbreaks outside the U.S. and Canada,” he told Fox News Digital.
The more opportunities the virus has to infect people, the more likely similar mutations will occur and spark a “chain of transmission” in humans, one expert cautioned. (iStock)
“To date, it does not appear as though the individual in Louisiana transmitted the infection to other people.”
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The doctor cautioned, however, that the more opportunities the virus has to infect people, the more likely similar mutations will occur and spark a “chain of transmission” in humans.
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“Each human infection represents a spin of the epidemic roulette wheel,” Scarpino said.
“We need to take active steps to eliminate H5N1 infections in agricultural populations and better understand why so many wild birds continue to be infected.”
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More than 59% of women may have high blood pressure by 2050, according to a new report from the American Heart Association.
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A new report by the American Heart Association (AHA) included some troubling predictions for the future of women’s health.
The forecast, published in the journal Circulation on Wednesday, projected increases in various comorbidities in American females by 2050.
More than 59% of women were predicted to have high blood pressure, up from less than 49% currently.
The review also projected that more than 25% of women will have diabetes, compared to about 15% today, and more than 61% will have obesity, compared to 44% currently.
As a result of these risk factors, the prevalence of cardiovascular disease and stroke is expected to rise to 14.4% from 10.7%.
The prevalence of cardiovascular disease and stroke in women is expected to rise to 14.4% from 10.7% by 2050. (iStock)
Not all trends were negative, as unhealthy cholesterol prevalence is expected to drop to about 22% from more than 42% today, the report stated.
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Dr. Elizabeth Klodas, a cardiologist and founder of Step One Foods in Minnesota, commented on these “jarring findings.”
“The fact that on our current trajectory, cardiometabolic disease is projected to explode in women within one generation should be a huge wake-up call,” she told Fox News Digital.
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“Hypertension, diabetes, obesity — these are all major risk factors for heart disease, and we are already seeing what those risks are driving. Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women, eclipsing all other causes of death, including breast cancer.”
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for women in the U.S. and around the world. (iStock)
Klodas warned that heart disease starts early, progresses “stealthily,” and can present “out of the blue in devastating ways.”
The AHA published another study on Thursday revealing one million hospitalizations, showing that heart attack deaths are climbing among adults below the age of 55.
The more alarming finding, according to Klodas, is that young women were found more likely to die after their first heart attack than men of the same age.
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“This is all especially tragic since heart disease is almost entirely preventable,” she said. “The earlier you start, the better.”
Children can show early evidence of plaque deposition in their arteries, which can be reversed through lifestyle changes if “undertaken early enough and aggressively enough,” according to the expert.
Moving more is one part of protecting a healthy heart, according to experts. (iStock)
Klodas suggested that rising heart conditions are associated with traditional risk factors, like smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity and a sedentary lifestyle.
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Doctors are also seeing higher rates of preeclampsia, or high blood pressure during pregnancy, as well as gestational diabetes. Klodas noted that these are sex-specific risk factors that don’t typically contribute to complications until after menopause.
The best way to protect a healthy heart is to “do the basics,” Klodas recommended, including the following lifestyle habits.
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Klodas especially emphasized making improvements to diet, as the food people eat affects “every single risk factor that the AHA’s report highlights.”
“High blood pressure, high blood sugar, high cholesterol, excess weight – these are all conditions that are driven in part or in whole by food,” she said. “We eat multiple times every single day, which means what we eat has profound cumulative effects over time.”
“Even a small improvement in dietary intake, when maintained, can have a massive positive impact on health,” a doctor said. (iStock)
“Even a small improvement in dietary intake, when maintained, can have a massive positive impact on health.”
The doctor also recommends changing out a few snacks per day for healthier choices, which has been proven to “yield medication-level cholesterol reductions” in a month.
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“Keep up that small change and, over the course of a year, you could also lose 20 pounds and reduce your sodium intake enough to avoid blood pressure-lowering medications,” Klodas added.
“Women should not view the AHA report as inevitable. We have power over our health destinies. We just need to use it.”
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