Should I be worried about bird flu in Mass. — or in my milk? A local expert weighs in | WBUR

While public health experts are working urgently to better understand H5N1, CEID director Dr. Nahid Bhadelia reminds WBUR that for the general population, there isn’t currently need for concern or alarm about H5N1, especially because all Massachusetts grocery stores require milk to be pasteurized, which renders any potential H5N1 virus fragments inactive. Read more on […]

H5N1: What do we know so far?

When: Thursday, May 9, 2024 at 10:00-11:00 AM Where: Zoom webinar (register here) Cases of the H5N1 strain of avian flu have been reported in US dairy cattle since March 2024. As we have seen avian influenza (or “bird flu”) has the ability to be transmitted from birds to mammals such as cows and humans. […]

Fragments of Bird Flu Virus Discovered in Milk | New York Times

“As long it’s not a live virus, it is unlikely that there’s any health risks,” explains CEID director Dr. Nahid Bhadelia. Due to both the pasteurization and digestive processes, there is little cause for concern about contracting H5N1 avian influenza through dairy products from potentially infected cows. Read more from the New York Times.

Is There a Vaccine for H5N1 Influenza? | MedPage Today

With dairy farmers currently the most likely to be exposed to H5N1, some experts suggest this may be a subgroup to prioritize vaccinating. CEID director, Dr. Nahid Bhadelia notes that now is the time to be talking about vaccines, “including the current stockpile, the capacity to manufacture new doses if need be, and the designs of […]

The H5N1 Outbreak Is Not a Test Run, It’s a Warning Shot | MedPage Today

In an opinion piece for in MedPage Today, CEID director Dr. Nahid Bhadelia shares why increasing virus evolution for mammal-to-mammal transmission, such as the current H5N1 cases in cows, is concerning and why now is the time to study the virus and develop countermeasures- before it spreads more broadly to humans. Read more here.