Morning Update: Should we panic about bird flu?

Good morning. How worried about the spread of bird flu is more worried about it, as well as a high-speed rail line between Toronto and Cubek City and a high-handed hockey final between Canada and America but first:

Today’s headlines

• Liberal Party questioned leadership candidate Ruby Dhalla on possible intervention from India
• Trump called Zelansky a dictator, ‘Marks a new less for a delicate US-Quarter Relations
• Alberta Premier Daniel Smith reconstructs employees after allegations of government intervention in the Provincial Health Agency

bird flu

Cattle in coal mine

There is no shortage of potential disasters for your attention. A large new study found that the world’s glaciers are melting much faster than ever. Donald Trump has just posted that Ukraine’s safety is not a US problem, as he got “as a big, beautiful ocean separation” from the war. Everyone suddenly wants to know if it is safe to go on an airplane. Also: obstacles are continued, seven years from now, an asteroid will break into the earth.

But today – deep breath – it’s time to talk about bird flu. In the last one year, a highly pathogenic stress of avian influenza has reduced poultry farms in North America and dropped hundreds of dairy-goes in states. Dozens of American farm workers came down with bird flu in 2024, and there are some cases where it is not clear how people caught the virus-including a 13-year-old girl in BC, who spent weeks in critical condition. Last Thursday, the CDC identified three tangible infections in dairy veterinarians, suggesting that there could be many more human matters than the official count. Ottawa is provoking to overtake the problem: yesterday, Canada’s Public Health Agency said it had bought 500,000 doses of a bird flu vaccine, which would be distributed to farm workers and others at high risk of exposure.

Let’s start with good news: There is no evidence that the bird flu is spreading through human-human contact. For example, none of the family members of the BC teenager caught the virus on their own. Scientists have also known about such avian influenza (H5N1) since 1997, and have great experience with its vaccine. In fact, when it comes to the virus that can tip in the next epidemic, “We know more about vaccination against H5, as much as we do almost something else,” Richard Webbi, St. Jude Children in Memphis An influenza specialist at the Research Hospital, said, Globe.

However, this is the current batch of evil news H5 “The most atheist we have seen,” webbi said. It has been killed by more than 300 million birds worldwide since 2021; In the US, at least 32 million domestic poultry was infected or noted alone this year. This helps to explain why the price of American eggs was hit by 45 years of high in January, and the Waffle House dealt with 50-percent surcharge for every order of eggs. (In Canada, small commercial farms reduce the effects of outbreaks and subsequent stickers.)

And now it is clear that this special flu is not just for birds. It has been found in boar, horses, mice, home cats and about 70 other mammals species. Tigers and sea lions and polar bears have all died of viruses, which also wiped out 18,000 elephant seal puppies. In the previous spring, bird flu was first detected in cattle, something that came as a surprise for influenza experts. “You pick up a textbook of virology and see the hosts that (H5N1) may be infected – the cows are not in that list,” Webbi told The Globe.

This means that the virus has made some major mutations to repeat so well among the flocks of so many cattle. Fortunately, it is not yet adapted to be more contagious for us. So far, avian influenza locks deep receptors in the lungs, making it difficult to the seasonal flu virus that targets our upper respiratory tract. You need to come into contact with an entire group of viruses to get infected, which is why in many cases the dairy workers who have given milk to Udders of the victim cows have been included.

But it can change quickly. According to a recent study by scientists at Scripps Research, a single modification in the protein found on the surface of the H5N1 virus can allow very easy transmission among humans. The more bird flu spreads, the more opportunities the opportunity mute. Seasonal flu is currently growing in North America, and if these two types of influenza infect the same cow – or individual – then genetic material can also change around to make a bird flu that is far more infectious.

It outlines the importance of all monitoring and preparation, especially in America, most human affairs and homes for infected hen and cows. Therefore, it may not be the best time for Elon Musk’s Government Efficiency Department to visit the firing rampage. Last Friday, the US Department of Health and Human Services-Famous Vaccine Skptic and Raw-Milk-Milk enthusiast Robert F. Under the leadership of Kennedy Junior-announced a plan to set fire to 5,200 employees in his agencies including the National Institute of Health, The Food and Food and. Drug Administration, and CDC. On the same day, the US Agriculture Department made a step to many people working on bird flu to “optimize their work force”, then tried to rent them back this week.

Finally, it is still very soon for a fully developed bird flu nervousness. But we know that a virus does not respect boundaries – and Trump’s approach to public health does not inspire much confidence.

Shot

From Toronto to Montreal in a three -hour flat?

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is calling it the largest infrastructure project in Canadian history: 300 kmph railway line between Alto, Quebec City and Toronto. This may not soon happen at any time (five -year development will focus on the phase plan, not construction) and it cannot escape the upcoming federal election (Orthodox MP and Transport Critic Philip Lawrence called for the announcement “$ 5 Billion’s picture “dismissed as- OP”). But you can read more about Alto’s high-speed promise here.

Rap

What else are we following

At home: Pat King, an organizer who was overwhelming the city of Ottawa in 2022, was sentenced to a three -month -old house arrest in 2022 – not 10 years who wanted Crown.

Foreign: Vatican said that Pope Francis was struggling with double pneumonia, showing a little improvement and proved enough to receive the hospital from Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni.

on the tube: As part of a multimilian-dollar American advertising campaign, the Ontario government sponsored the prime-time interview of Scene Hanity with Donald Trump and Elon Musk on Fox News this week.

On ice: Canada tonight played the role of America in the face-off finals of 4 nations, and fans are waiting to see if they will fight once again in the first nine seconds.