This is SCARY!

Folks—Those with cats—PLEASE NOTE!

H5N1 now confirmed in 11 US farms. Cats die within 48 hours.

Vets are being advised to wear full PPE (personal protection) if seeing a cat with neurological symptoms, after forty cats died on a dairy farm in New Mexico. The virus has proved 100% fatal and cats die within 24-48 hours.

This avian-origin virus has now proved capable of infecting a wide range of species including humans (a Texas dairy farm worker has tested positive). In March, investigators collected samples from several animals in Texas and Kansas. Wild birds, cats, and dairy cows were tested because they showed illness signs. “Further testing of these samples indicated the presence of avian influenza A(H5N1),” the TDSHS said. A press officer from the TDSHS confirmed in an e-mail that sick cats tested positive for the virus.

THIS IS A HIGH-RISK VIRUS. Globally, from 1 January 2003 to 26 February 2024, 887 cases of human infection with avian influenza A(H5N1) virus were reported from 23 countries. Of these 887 cases, 462 were fatal (CFR of 52%) — Source, the W.H.O.

cidrap.umn.edu

dshs.texas.gov

Is it safe to consume dairy products? The answer for RAW products is NO. The virus has been detected in unpasteurised milk.

dailykos.com