Health
Pig infected with bird flu for first time in US, health officials confirm
A pig in Oregon has tested positive for H5N1 bird flu, according to a Wednesday announcement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The infected pig was from a backyard farming operation that had a “mix of poultry and livestock,” the press release stated.
The USDA National Veterinary Services Laboratories confirmed that this was the “first detection of H5N1 in swine” in the U.S.
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“The livestock and poultry on this farm shared water sources, housing and equipment; in other states, this combination has enabled transmission between species,” the release noted.
A pig in Oregon (not pictured) has tested positive for H5N1 bird flu, according to a Wednesday announcement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. (iStock)
The infected pig did not display symptoms of illness, but was tested — along with four other swine — out of “an abundance of caution” after other animals on the farm tested positive.
“There is no concern about the safety of the nation’s pork supply as a result of this finding.”
Out of the other five pigs tested, two were negative and two still have pending results.
“This farm is a non-commercial operation, and the animals were not intended for the commercial food supply,” the USDA stated.
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“There is no concern about the safety of the nation’s pork supply as a result of this finding.”
The farm has been placed under quarantine to prevent further spread of bird flu, and the other animals are being monitored, per the USDA.
Doctors weigh in
Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Health and Fox News Senior Medical Analyst, noted that cattle are “definitely now a reservoir” for H5N1.
“A solo pig isn’t concerning except for two things — how many more have it that we don’t know about, and that pigs are a mixing vessel for flu,” he told Fox News Digital.
The infected pig (not pictured) was from a backyard farming operation that had a “mix of poultry and livestock,” the press release stated. (iStock)
“There can be several different kinds of flu in swine at any given time, and they can exchange genetic material, creating new strains,” the doctor cautioned.
The 2009 H1N1 pandemic, though “mild by pandemic standards,” involved a swine flu, Siegel noted.
Added the doctor, “Continued spread in the pig population would concern me.”
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Dr. Benjamin Anderson, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Environmental and Global Health at the University of Florida, noted that while this appears to be an isolated event, there is still “some cause for concern.”
The doctor echoed Siegel’s concern that swine are a known “mixing vessel” for influenza A viruses, “as they are able to be infected by avian and human influenza virus strains.”
“There can be several different kinds of flu in swine at any given time, and they can exchange genetic material, creating new strains,” a doctor warned. (iStock)
“If H5N1, an avian influenza virus, were to regularly transmit among pigs, the greatest concern is that the genetic material from other influenza virus strains circulating in pigs may recombine with it to make a new progeny virus that is more transmissible to humans,” Anderson told Fox News Digital.
The fact that all five of the pigs at the farm were not clinically ill is also concerning when it comes to surveillance, according to the doctor.
“It’s abundantly clear we have a serious H5N1 problem in the U.S. that isn’t going away anytime soon.”
“Most of our testing for H5N1 in farm settings to date has only occurred due to clinical outbreaks,” he said.
“If the virus is causing subclinical (mild illness) or asymptomatic (no illness) infections in other livestock, then we may not catch it without regular ongoing testing.”
Factors that mitigate risk
Samuel Scarpino, director of AI and life sciences and professor of health sciences at Northeastern University in Boston, said there are two factors that could potentially mitigate the risk associated with this pig becoming infected with bird flu.
“First, the H5N1 virus that infected the pig in Oregon likely came from an infected bird, as opposed to a spillover from an infected dairy farm,” he told Fox News Digital.
There are two main lineages of H5N1 currently circulating in the US, one in birds and one in dairy cows, an expert noted. (iStock)
“There are two main lineages of H5N1 currently circulating in the US, one in birds and one in dairy cows. We suspect that the H5N1 lineage circulating in dairy cows may be more infectious in humans than the lineage of H5N1 circulating in birds.”
Second, the farm was not large, Scarpino noted, which means there are fewer opportunities for transmission between pigs and for evolution of the virus.
“In addition, there are fewer humans working on the farm who may have come in contact with infected animals,” he added.
Because the farm was not large, there are fewer opportunities for transmission between pigs and for evolution of the virus, said an infectious diseases expert. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, File)
Despite these factors, the expert went on, anytime there are pigs infected with a highly pathogenic avian influenza, measures should be taken to ensure that farm workers are protected and that they have not transmitted the virus to others.
“Even though this virus did not originate from an infected dairy farm, it’s abundantly clear we have a serious H5N1 problem in the U.S. that isn’t going away anytime soon,” Scarpino cautioned.
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“We are also entering the normal seasonal flu period, which will make it harder to detect rare H5N1 infections.”
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Scarpino calls for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), along with state and local public health agencies, to increase resources for influenza surveillance to include both clinical and wastewater testing.
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Journalist Katie Couric is sharing a scary medical episode that she experienced on June 27.
In a post on Substack titled “The Day I’ll Never Remember,” she detailed a sudden episode that left her unable to recall the current month, year and president.
“I thought it was 2024. And I believed Joe Biden was president,” she wrote.
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The event occurred while Couric was attending the Aspen Ideas Festival in Colorado, during which she participated in two public panels — one on AI and one on journalism — both of which she cannot remember at all.
“I have no idea what we talked about, or of what occurred when the panels ended,” she said.
Journalist Katie Couric is sharing a scary medical episode that she experienced on June 27. (Getty Images)
John Molner — Couric’s husband, who was in attendance at the festival and the two panels — also shared his account.
After the event, someone told Molner that Katie wasn’t feeling well. When he reached her, an EMT and a doctor were tending to her. “I could tell something was off,” he wrote. “It could have been altitude sickness, but Katie was definitely not all there.”
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At the hospital, when Couric struggled to recall the year, the president and her grandchildren’s names, doctors began checking for a stroke.
An MRI revealed no signs of stroke, which was a relief, but “Katie’s ‘fog’ became a lot more apparent,” Molner wrote.
John Molner, Couric’s husband, who was in attendance at the festival and the two panels, also shared his account. (Getty Images)
“She repeatedly asked me the same questions: ‘What was I doing before we got to the hospital?’ ‘Why am I at the hospital?’”
Couric was ultimately diagnosed with transient global amnesia, a sudden, temporary episode of memory loss that prevents a person from forming new memories and may also erase some recent memories, according to Mayo Clinic.
“The cause seems to be as mysterious as the brain itself.”
It is not caused by a stroke, seizure or head injury, and it usually resolves completely within 24 hours.
“[It’s] just a very weird neural episode that’s pretty uncommon and, at least in most cases, is a ‘one and done’ experience,” Molner said.
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Couric said she finally began feeling “like herself” again around 9 p.m. and went to sleep at 2 a.m.
As TGA leaves a “permanent gap in memory” for the duration of the episode and for hours beforehand, Couric said that from around noon on that day until at least 7 p.m. will remain a “big, black hole.”
As TGA leaves a “permanent gap in memory” for the duration of the episode and for hours beforehand, Couric said that from around noon on that day until at least 7 p.m. will remain a “big, black hole.” (Getty Images)
Data shows that approximately three to eight people per 100,000 will have an episode of transient global amnesia, with people 50 years of age and older at higher risk.
The specific cause of TGA is not known, but some experts believe it stems from a “temporary dysfunction in the brain’s hippocampus — the area responsible for creating new memories,” Couric shared.
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“Doctors believe this is driven by brief interruptions in blood or oxygen flow, or microscopic spasm in the blood vessels.”
Episodes could potentially be triggered by intense physical exertion, emotional distress, extreme temperature changes or migraines, experts say.
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Approximately 15% of patients will have a recurrence 10 years later.
“Why did this happen to me? Was the altitude an issue? Was I dehydrated? Tired? Stressed? The literature doesn’t seem to indicate that these are contributing factors, but the cause seems to be as mysterious as the brain itself,” Couric wrote.
Anyone who experiences sudden memory loss, confusion, difficulty speaking, weakness, numbness, vision changes, severe headache or other stroke-like symptoms should seek immediate medical attention or call 911, doctors advise. (iStock)
“All I know is that those hours will be forever lost. Someone described it as my brain failing to hit the ‘record button.’”
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“While this was a freaky occurrence, it could have been much more serious. So ultimately, I’m relieved — even though several hours of a Saturday in June will always be missing for me.”
Anyone who experiences sudden memory loss, confusion, difficulty speaking, weakness, numbness, vision changes, severe headache or other stroke-like symptoms should seek immediate medical attention or call 911, doctors advise.
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Older adults identified as “super movers” are about half as likely to develop cognitive impairment than their peers.
That’s according to a recent study led by Stony Brook Medicine in New York, which evaluated the cognitive function of 4,000 adults 80 and over who participated in multiple aging and longevity studies over several years.
Among this group, 6% to 10% were classified as super movers, which means they walk at a much faster pace than others of the same age and gender — at speeds comparable to people three decades younger.
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The super movers were found to have about half the risk of cognitive decline compared to seniors with typical gait speed.
The findings were published in the journal Neurology on June 16.
Older adults identified as “super movers” are about half as likely to develop cognitive impairment than their peers. (iStock)
“The study reinforces that mobility and brain health are closely connected,” lead study author Dr. Joe Verghese, MD, neurologist at Stony Brook Medicine, told Fox News Digital. “This suggests that preserving mobility may be an important marker of healthy brain aging and resilience.”
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The most intriguing finding, according to Verghese, was that super movers maintained cognitive function despite having similar dementia-related brain changes as their peers.
In postmortem brain analysis, there was no difference in dementia-related pathologies between the super movers and the slower walkers, the study stated.
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“This suggests they may possess resilience mechanisms that help preserve brain function even in the presence of age-related changes,” he said. “Understanding these resilience factors could lead to new strategies for promoting healthy brain aging.”
As the study was observational, there were some limitations, and it does not prove that walking faster prevents dementia, the researchers noted.
Super movers were found to have about half the risk of cognitive decline compared to seniors with typical gait speed. (iStock)
“Other factors, such as cardiovascular health, physical fitness or genetics, may also contribute to both faster walking and better cognitive outcomes,” Verghese said.
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This study adds to growing evidence that what’s good for the heart and muscles also benefits the brain, he noted, adding that “staying physically active remains one of the most effective, evidence-based ways to support healthy aging.”
“Walking speed is best viewed as a marker of overall health, not a treatment.”
“The broader message is that physical activity is important at any age,” Verghese said. “Walking is an easy step-up point because you don’t need any special equipment. You can do it inside or outdoors, and you can do it on a regular basis. You can walk with a dog, you can walk with a friend.”
Any activity is beneficial if it’s done regularly and with the right intensity, he added.
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Rather than just trying to walk faster, the neurologist recommends that seniors focus on maintaining mobility through regular physical activity, strength training, balance exercises and good cardiovascular health.
“Walking speed is best viewed as a marker of overall health, not a treatment,” Verghese noted.
Major public health guidelines from the CDC and U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week, such as brisk walking.
Major public health guidelines from the CDC and U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week, such as brisk walking. (iStock)
This can be achieved by walking 30 minutes a day, five days a week, or about 20 to 25 minutes most days. Another option is to engage in shorter sessions that add up over the day.
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“You have to do it within your health limitations and medical conditions,” Verghese advised. “So if there are any medical concerns, I would get your physician to clear you before starting exercise.” The good thing about walking, he added, is that you can start at a slow pace and then gradually build up to a brisker pace.
“And then adding on strength and balance training, whatever age you are, I think is also important.”
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