The cow flu, which originated from bird flu, has infected thousands of animals in a dozen states and on a hundred farms. The virus's mutation has taken a frightening direction, and the next step could easily be for H5N1 to become dangerous to humans as well. Sky News.
Although the virus has also infected four people who work with infected animals, this is not the type of transmission we should be afraid of. What is worrying is the result of an analysis conducted by the University of Wisconsin-Madison:
Based on samples taken from cows, the virus may be able to bind to receptors also found in human respiratory organs.
The virus found so far in birds has not been able to do this, meaning a mutation has occurred. However, further tests in hunting rodents have shown that the virus is difficult to spread through the air.
Mr. Dr Hutchinsona researcher at the University of Glasgow's Centre for Virus Research, However, we should not be complacent just yet:
When samples of bovine and avian influenza were compared, some characteristics associated with the ability to infect humans through the respiratory system were already distinguished.
However Hutchinson He says H5N1 is not yet capable of that, and the four infected people did not transmit the disease. However, if the virus continues to mutate, it could be very dangerous to humans, since H5N1 not only causes flu-like symptoms, but can also spread to other organs besides the lungs.
The US government has already taken the first steps against H5N1. Moderna, which also produced one of the Covid-19 vaccines, has been given £139 million, or about HUF 65 billion, to develop the vaccine. The company’s mRNA technology can be easily modified against mutating viruses. health care International organization (from), the risk level is low, yet scientists were very surprised by the virus's lightning-fast emergence in cows.
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