The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has identified mutations in the H5N1 bird flu virus that may increase its ability to infect humans. These mutations, found in the hemagglutinin (HA) gene,

Federal health officials have confirmed unsettling new details about the first United States case of severe bird flu,

The United States has confirmed its first known severe human infection of H5N1 bird flu, in a person in Louisiana believed to have contracted the virus through contact with sick or dead birds in a backyard flock.

Genetic analysis of H5N1 bird flu viruses from a severely ill patient in Louisiana revealed multiple mutations that may enhance the virus’s ability to bind to human upper airway cells, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported on Thursday.

HPAI is considered low risk to humans, the agency said, and there have been no human cases in New England during the current outbreak. The post Bird flu detected in small backyard flock in Vermont appeared first on Boston.

Federal health officials say that not only has a Louisiana resident contracted the first severe case of bird flu in the U.S., but that the virus likely mutated in the patient. The findings raise concern regarding the adaptability of the virus.

A new bird flu mutation of H5N1 has been discovered in a patient in the US state of Louisiana. Public health officials are concerned the new strain may rapidly develop, increasing its ability to affect humans.