The fate of a Canadian teenager who was infected with H5N1 bird flu in early November, and subsequently admitted to an intensive care unit, has finally been revealed: She has fully recovered.But genetic analysis of the virus that infected her body showed ominous mutations that researchers suggest potentially allowed it to target human cells more easily and cause severe disease — a development the study authors called "worrisome.

As for testing, the girl's first swab at BC Children's was positive for influenza A but negative for H1 or H3 disease. Further polymerase chain reaction testing for flu, COVID, and respiratory syncytial virus showed a cycle threshold (Ct) value of 27.1, suggesting a relatively high viral load, which prompted further subtyping, revealing H5 disease.

In 2024, at least 66 human cases of bird flu have been reported in the United States, each one raising the risk of another pandemic like COVID-19. So far, most cases have been described as “mild,” which means they weren't hospitalized.

The first severe case of H5N1 bird flu was confirmed in Louisiana. Here is a map of other states that have been affected.

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.

Los Angeles County health officials have identified three more cats with presumptive H5N1; the source of the virus has not yet determined, but experts suspect raw meat.

Federal health officials have confirmed unsettling new details about the first United States case of severe bird flu, reported recently in a hospitalized patient in Louisiana. Genetic samples from the patient contained mutations that could,

Health experts are raising concerns after genetic sampling of the first severe H5N1 bird flu case in the U.S. Map shows US states where 'damaging' Arctic blast will hit first - and more to come Look inside the Breakers,