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Scientists are warning the public about bird flu after a patient in Louisiana showed mutations that could increase the transmission of the virus.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analyzed samples from a patient with the nation's first severe case of bird flu. The agency found mutations that were not found in virus sequences collected on the patient's property, "suggesting the changes emerged in the patient after infection," it announced on its website on Thursday.
Experts—including Michael Mina, a physician-scientist, and Rick Bright, an immunologist and a virologist—have since commented on the news.
"These types of mutations are the exact types of mutations we worry about in infectious disease epidemiology and pandemic preparedness," Mina told Newsweek.
Newsweek contacted Bright for further comment via social media.
Why It Matters
Bird flu, a viral infection typically spread among birds, usually does not affect humans. However, the CDC announced on December 18 that a patient in Louisiana had been hospitalized with the first-known severe case of bird flu in the United States.
Scientists are now warning the public about the potential threat this disease poses.
What To Know
The CDC found that the mutations observed in the Louisiana patient could increase the virus' ability to bind to the upper respiratory system of humans.
On Thursday, Mina posted an "important wake up call" on X, formerly Twitter.
"The H5 virus mutated inside the single patient to gain an ability to bind human receptors in the upper respiratory tract. It takes just one," he wrote.
Bright said on X that the new development is "exactly what we expect to see" with influenza viruses.
"They adapt easily within host, they will adapt for better human transmission, & they will become resistant to antiviral drugs, very easily & very quickly as their prevalence in people expands. It's not too late, but transparency is needed," he continued.
The CDC said the Louisiana patient was exposed to sick and dead birds in backyard flocks. The agency added that the risk of outbreak remained low.
Mina told Newsweek that the CDC's statement is a "half truth."
"What we are terrified about is exactly the types of mutations we know can happen and we are now seeing, despite very low testing and sequencing," Mina said. "Every time a person gets infected, it gives the virus literally billions or trillions of chances, like buying it trillions of lottery tickets to figure out how to effectively infect the person it is in."
He said the virus has the potential to generate widespread infections and cause a new pandemic.
"We must do more, beginning with a concerted, logical and planned response at the federal level. How we dealt with COVID will not [do], and we haven't even come close to committing an iota of those resources to preventing this," Mina said.
There have been 65 confirmed human cases of bird flu in the United States.
What People Are Saying
Michael Mina, a physician-scientist, wrote on X: "These types of mutations are truly what we worry about. They are anticipated to happen in a host who gets infected [with] a virus who may not be optimized for replication of the virus—so the virus adapts to the host."
Scott Gottlieb, a physician and former FDA commissioner, wrote on X: "Most believe it's unlikely H5N1 will develop into a pandemic, but in low probability scenario it does, U.S. will have only itself to blame. Agricultural officials did just about everything wrong over last year, hoping virus would burn out and it didn't."
What Happens Next
The CDC lists several protective measures people can take to help reduce the risk of exposure to bird flu.
People are encouraged to avoid direct contact with wild birds and unprotected exposure to infected live or dead animals. People are also encouraged to drink pasteurized milk and avoid raw milk products.
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Update 12/27/24 5:20 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with comment from Michael Mina.
About the writer
Jenna Sundel is a Newsweek reporter based in New Jersey. Her focus is reporting on breaking news. She has in-depth ... Read more