Health
Bird flu concerns mount as California reports more human cases
Concerns about bird flu — officially known as avian influenza A (H5) — continue to mount, particularly in California.
As of Oct. 14, the state has had six confirmed and five possible human cases of bird flu, according to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH).
All of the affected individuals reportedly had direct contact with infected cattle at nine dairy farms, the department stated.
FIRST CASE OF HUMAN BIRD FLU DIAGNOSED WITHOUT EXPOSURE TO INFECTED ANIMALS, CDC SAYS
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is conducting tests to confirm the five possible cases.
All the individuals experienced “mild symptoms,” including eye redness or discharge (conjunctivitis), the CDPH stated. None were hospitalized.
As of Oct. 14, California has had six confirmed and five possible human cases of bird flu. (iStock)
There is not a concern at this point about human-to-human transmission, according to the agency.
“Given the amount of exposure to infected cows, evidence continues to suggest only animal-to-human spread of the virus in California,” said the CDPH statement.
“Evidence continues to suggest only animal-to-human spread of the virus.”
“Additionally, based on CDC’s genomic sequencing of three California bird flu cases, there is no evidence to suggest an increased ability for the virus to infect or spread between people and no known reduced susceptibility to antiviral medications.”
IN A POTENTIAL OUTBREAK, IS BIRD FLU TESTING AVAILABLE FOR HUMANS? WHAT TO KNOW
As of Oct. 15, there were a total of 20 confirmed human cases of bird flu in the U.S., according to the CDC.
Colorado and California have had the most cases, with others reported in Michigan, Missouri and Texas, the same source stated.
Getting the flu vaccine also makes it less likely that someone will end up with a suspected case of avian flu as a result of having the seasonal flu and a history of animal exposure, an expert said. (Jeff Kowalsky/AFP via Getty Images)
Roughly half of those were linked to exposure to infected cattle and the other half to infected poultry.
“To a large extent, the higher numbers we are seeing in California, and previously in Colorado, are due to more aggressive monitoring and case finding efforts in those states, rather than necessarily reflecting a larger burden of disease,” Shira Doron, M.D., chief infection control officer at Tufts Medicine Health System in Boston, told Fox News Digital.
“Seasonal flu cases will be rising soon, and we will need to distinguish quickly between regular flu and avian flu, especially in animal workers,” an expert noted. (iStock)
“California has one of the more comprehensive programs to find avian influenza in its cattle herds, and when they find sick cows, they monitor exposed health care workers,” she went on.
“The disease has been mostly very mild, so it will only be detected if looked for.”
Should people be concerned?
It’s not known whether the strain that is causing avian flu in cows will ever mutate into a strain that can be spread from human to human, according to Doron.
“Right now, with no evidence of human-to-human spread, it does not have the potential to become a human pandemic, but that could change,” she told Fox News Digital.
“Obviously, scientists and public health officials should be concerned, and should take action to limit the spread of this disease in farm animals.”
BIRD FLU PANDEMIC IN FUTURE? EU WARNS OF POTENTIAL SPREAD TO HUMANS DUE TO ‘LACK OF IMMUNE DEFENSE’
Farm owners and farm workers should also be concerned, she said.
“They should be taking measures to protect those who work closely with animals, especially cows and chickens,” Doron advised.
“It is not time to vaccinate more broadly yet, given the small number of cases, absence of proven human-to-human transmission and mostly mild infection,” said an expert. (iStock)
Sam Scarpino, PhD, director of AI and life sciences at Northeastern University in Boston, said he finds the rising number of human H5N1 cases “concerning.”
“The more spillovers to humans, the more chances there are for the wrong variant to find itself in a person and spark an epidemic,” he told Fox News Digital.
There’s currently no evidence, however, that the virus has mutated to become more infectious in humans, Scarpino said.
“At this point, there’s no excuse for a farm worker to die from an H5N1 infection.”
“Most likely, we are seeing the impact of an increasing number of infected dairy farms leading to an increasing number of human infections,” he said.
“California also has active efforts for both human and dairy cattle surveillance, so ascertainment may be higher than in other states.”
Tips for prevention
Although experts say the risk for human-to-human transmission remains low, they recommend certain public health precautions.
“People who have close contact with animals, particularly farm animals and wild birds, should be taking precautions,” Doron advised.
CDC, WEBMD GIVE UPDATE ON CURRENT BIRD FLU OUTBREAK
The CDC also recommends that farm workers wear personal protective equipment — such as gloves, goggles and face shields — and that farms follow guidance to prevent the spread of the virus between animals.
“Even if a large outbreak isn’t sparked, the risk to farm workers is clearly higher, and we need to ensure they are protected,” Scarpino told Fox News Digital.
“At this point, there’s no excuse for a farm worker to die from an H5N1 infection.”
All of the affected individuals in California reportedly had direct contact with infected cattle at nine dairy farms, the health department stated. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, File)
It’s also important for people to get their seasonal flu shot, experts say.
“While it is not likely to protect against avian flu, it will help people avoid being infected with the seasonal and avian strain at the same time, which can lead to genetic mixing and emergence of a pandemic strain,” said Doron.
Getting the flu vaccine also makes it less likely that someone will end up with a suspected case of avian flu as a result of having the seasonal flu and a history of animal exposure, she added.
Vaccines for bird flu are currently in development.
“It is not time to vaccinate more broadly yet, given the small number of cases, absence of proven human-to-human transmission and mostly mild infection,” said Doron.
Roughly half of the infections were linked to exposure to infected cattle and the other half to infected poultry. (iStock)
It is important for tests to be commercially available for avian flu, however.
“Seasonal flu cases will be rising soon, and we will need to distinguish quickly between regular flu and avian flu, especially in animal workers,” Doron noted.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
“Right now, to test for avian flu, specimens have to go to special public health labs and the results take days to return. We are going to need answers more quickly if we want people to be able to properly isolate and prevent spread.”
The CDC recommends that farm workers wear personal protective equipment — such as gloves, goggles and face shields — and that farms follow guidance to prevent the spread of the virus between animals. (iStock)
The CDPH recommends that California residents monitor for bird flu symptoms for 10 days after exposure.
Those include eye redness (conjunctivitis), sore throat, cough, runny or stuffy nose, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle or body aches, fatigue, headaches, trouble breathing and fever.
For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health
“If they start to feel sick, they should immediately isolate, notify their local public health department, and work with public health and health care providers to get timely testing and treatment,” the agency advises on its website.
Use left and right arrow keys to navigate between menu items.
Use escape to exit the menu.
Sign Up
Create a free account to access exclusive content, play games, solve puzzles, test your pop-culture knowledge and receive special offers.
Already have an account? Login
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
There has been a shake-up in the Make America Healthy Again movement regarding glyphosate, a widely used herbicide that has been the subject of significant controversy.
The debate follows an executive order signed by President Donald Trump that ensures an adequate supply of elemental phosphorus and glyphosate-based herbicides related to national defense.
MAHA supporters have previously pushed a pesticide-free agenda, warning of potential health harms caused by glyphosate.
Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News senior medical analyst, said he believes there is sufficient evidence linking glyphosate to neurodegenerative diseases, including ALS, Parkinson’s and multiple sclerosis, to warrant limiting exposure.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order that ensures an adequate supply of elemental phosphorus and glyphosate-based herbicides related to national defense. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
“With Parkinson’s, this association appears to be due to the gut, vagus nerve and brain axis, where the exposure affects the microbiome in the gut, which then ascends slowly up to the brain, causing the neurodegenerative disease years later,” Siegel told Fox News Digital.
“There is also a growing association being found between high-dose glyphosate or occupational exposure and metabolic disorders, liver disease and some cancers, specifically lymphoma.”
He added, “Growing research backs this. I favor limiting it.”
“When we apply them across millions of acres and allow them into our food system, we put Americans at risk.”
Studies have shown that glyphosate, which is used in products such as Roundup, owned by Monsanto, could raise cancer risk.
In one University of Washington study published in the journal Mutation Research, researchers found that exposure to it increased the risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma by 41%.
The nonprofit Investigate Midwest, which analyzed data from both the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Cancer Institute, also recently found that pesticides may contribute to cancer rates.
RFK JR BACKS BEEF, DECLARING ‘WAR ON PROTEIN IS OVER’ AS HE THANKS AMERICA’S CATTLE RANCHERS
Among the top 500 counties for per-square-mile pesticide use, more than 60% had cancer rates above the national average of 460 cases per 100,000 people, according to the report.
Investigate Midwest, which is based in Illinois, interviewed more than 100 farmers, environmentalists, lawmakers and scientists as part of a partnership with the Pulitzer Center’s StoryReach U.S. Fellowship.
Among the top 500 counties for per-square-mile pesticide use, more than 60% had cancer rates above the national average of 460 cases per 100,000 people, according to one study. (iStock)
Iowa, which used 53 million pounds of pesticides last year, holds the nation’s title for second-highest cancer rate.
Bill Billings, a resident of Red Oak, Iowa, was diagnosed with cancer in 2014.
“The cancer specialist said, very directly, (my) cancer is a result of being exposed to chemicals,” Billings said in the report.
Kelly Ryerson, founder of Glyphosate Facts and owner of the Instagram account @glyphosategirl, told Fox News Digital her journey researching the herbicide began with her own health struggles.
Ryerson, who is based in California, previously struggled with chronic illness and autoimmune issues, which she said improved when she stopped eating gluten.
Iowa, which used 53 million pounds of pesticides last year, holds the nation’s title for second-highest cancer rate. (iStock)
After attending a medical conference at Columbia University’s Celiac Disease Center, Ryerson began to question modern farming practices rather than the gluten itself.
“A lot of times, farmers are spraying Roundup on our grains right before harvest to facilitate an easier harvest,” she said. “After that easier harvest, because everything’s dry at the same time, those crops go directly to the mill and may end up in our food supply, at alarmingly high levels.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE LIFESTYLE STORIES
In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the World Health Organization framework, classified glyphosate as “probably carcinogenic to humans.”
The classification was based on limited evidence of cancer in humans (notably non-Hodgkin lymphoma in some studies) and sufficient evidence in experimental animals.
“President Trump’s executive order reinforces the critical need for U.S. farmers to have access to essential, domestically produced crop protection tools, such as glyphosate,” a Monsanto spokesperson said. (Wolf von Dewitz/picture alliance via Getty Images)
A spokesperson for Monsanto told Fox News Digital it will comply with Trump’s order to produce glyphosate and elemental phosphorus.
“President Trump’s executive order reinforces the critical need for U.S. farmers to have access to essential, domestically produced crop protection tools, such as glyphosate,” the spokesperson said.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has long been a vocal critic of Roundup, working with his legal team in 2018 to award $289 million to a man who alleged the weed killer caused his non-Hodgkin lymphoma, according to reports.
Following backlash to Trump’s executive order, Kennedy said he supports the order but acknowledged that “pesticides and herbicides are toxic by design, engineered to kill living organisms.”
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
“When we apply them across millions of acres and allow them into our food system, we put Americans at risk,” he posted on X. “Chemical manufacturers have paid tens of billions of dollars to settle cancer claims linked to their products, and many agricultural communities report elevated cancer rates and chronic disease.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.
Related Article
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Living near heavy traffic could negatively impact your heart health.
A European study, published in the journal Environmental Research, found that exposure to nighttime road traffic noise is linked to changes in the blood, leading to worsened cholesterol and cardiovascular risks.
The researchers considered data from the U.K. Biobank, Rotterdam Study, and Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966, including more than 272,000 adults over the age of 30, according to a press release.
Nighttime road noise exposure was estimated at all participants’ homes based on national noise maps. Researchers also took blood samples to measure the participants’ metabolic biomarkers for disease, then mapped the link between nightly noise levels and existence of biomarkers.
Exposure to loud noise was associated with increased concentrations of cholesterol-related biomarkers. (iStock)
The study found that people exposed to louder noise at night — especially sounds above 55 decibels — showed changes in 48 different substances in their blood. Twenty of these associations “remained robust” throughout all cohorts.
Exposure to loud noise was associated with increased concentrations of cholesterol-related biomarkers, especially LDL “bad” cholesterol, IDL (intermediate-density lipoprotein) and unsaturated fatty acids.
NEARLY 90% OF AMERICANS AT RISK OF SILENT DISEASE — HERE’S WHAT TO KNOW
As noise levels increased, starting at around 50 decibels, cholesterol markers rose steadily, the release stated.
The authors concluded that this study “provides evidence that nighttime road traffic noise exposure from 50 dB upward is associated with alterations in blood cholesterol and lipid profiles in adults.”
Researchers noted a link between traffic noise and cardiometabolic disease. (iStock)
Study co-author Yiyan He, doctoral researcher at the University of Oulu in Finland, noted that in this type of research, small effect sizes are expected, and environmental exposures such as traffic noise are “typically modest.”
SIMPLE NIGHTLY HABIT LINKED TO HEALTHIER BLOOD PRESSURE, STUDY SUGGESTS
“Despite this, we observed statistically robust and consistent associations across many biomarkers, especially those related to LDL and IDL lipoproteins,” she told Fox News Digital.
MISSING SLEEP MAY TAKE A HIDDEN TOLL ON YOUR BRAIN AND LONGEVITY, RESEARCH REVEALS
“We also identified a clear exposure-response pattern starting at around 50 dB, suggesting that metabolic changes become more evident as noise levels increase.”
This aligns with public health guidance, as the World Health Organization recommends lower nighttime noise limits at around 40 to 45 dB, Yiyan He added.
“This finding may clarify the association between traffic noise and cardiometabolic diseases,” the researchers wrote. (iStock)
“The 55 dB level is often used as an interim benchmark associated with substantial noise annoyance and sleep disturbance,” she said. “In our study, we observed associations not only at 55 dB, but also indications of effects emerging at around 50 dB.”
The strength and consistency of the cholesterol-related associations were surprising, as these changes are usually “subtle.”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“Instead, we found consistent associations across multiple large European cohorts, which strengthens confidence that the findings may reflect real biological patterns,” Yiyan He went on. “We were also interested to see that effects were minimal below ~50 dB, suggesting a possible threshold-like pattern.”
HEART DISEASE THREAT PROJECTED TO CLIMB SHARPLY FOR KEY DEMOGRAPHIC
The researcher noted that these findings were consistent across genders, education levels and obesity status.
The study was restricted to White Europeans, which posed a limitation. There was also a lack of information on the fasting status in the UK Biobank.
Changes in cholesterol levels were more severe than researchers expected. (iStock)
“Fasting can influence levels of certain metabolites, particularly fatty acids,” Yiyan He said. “However, based on UK Biobank documentation, fewer than 10% of participants were fasting for at least eight hours, and our main findings focused on cholesterol-related biomarkers, which are generally less sensitive to short-term fasting.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES
The researchers also lacked information on bedroom location, indoor noise exposure and time spent at home.
“These factors may introduce non-differential exposure misclassification,” Yiyan He said. “Additionally, noise exposure estimates were based on participants’ temporary residential addresses at the time of blood sampling, without considering the duration of residence.”
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
“Many of these limitations would tend to bias results toward the null, so the consistent associations we observed remain noteworthy.”
Experts recommend taking measures to limit traffic noise at night. (iStock)
Based on this latest research, Yiyan He noted that nighttime noise is a “health-relevant exposure,” not just “an annoyance.”
“Our findings suggest that nighttime traffic noise may subtly but consistently affect metabolic health,” she said. “While the changes in cholesterol and lipid levels for any one individual are small, traffic noise affects a very large number of people, which means the potential public health impact could be substantial.”
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
The researcher recommends taking measures like improving sound insulation, using noise-reducing strategies and placing bedrooms on the quieter side of the home when possible.
“Because sleep is a key pathway linking noise to health, protecting the nighttime sleep environment is especially important,” she added.
Related Article
After falling short a year ago, West Fargo United wins ND girls hockey state title
Purdue vs. Ohio State Prediction, How to Watch, Odds, Channel – Mar 1
Elgin’s Ritson Meyer becomes four-time Oklahoma high school wrestling state champion
6 Friendliest Towns to Visit on the Pacific Coast in 2026
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei killed in strikes; Pennsylvania lawmakers respond
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Indiana Members Credit Union announced as new anchor tenant at Bottleworks District
Mamdani’s response to Trump’s Iran strike sparks conservative backlash: ‘Rooting for the ayatollah’
Activists hail ‘historic’ EU’s decision on accessible abortion
A long-buried recording and the Supreme Court of old (CT+) : Consider This from NPR
2 Survivors Describe the Terror and Tragedy of the Tahoe Avalanche
Iran fires missiles at US bases across Middle East after American strikes on nuclear, IRGC sites
-
World3 days agoExclusive: DeepSeek withholds latest AI model from US chipmakers including Nvidia, sources say
-
Massachusetts3 days agoMother and daughter injured in Taunton house explosion
-
Montana1 week ago2026 MHSA Montana Wrestling State Championship Brackets And Results – FloWrestling
-
Louisiana6 days agoWildfire near Gum Swamp Road in Livingston Parish now under control; more than 200 acres burned
-
Denver, CO3 days ago10 acres charred, 5 injured in Thornton grass fire, evacuation orders lifted
-
Technology1 week agoYouTube TV billing scam emails are hitting inboxes
-
Technology1 week agoStellantis is in a crisis of its own making
-
Politics1 week agoOpenAI didn’t contact police despite employees flagging mass shooter’s concerning chatbot interactions: REPORT