In a twist straight out of a sci-fi movie, the H5N1 bird flu has jumped to pigs in the U.S. for the first time! 🐷🦠 The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced on Wednesday that the virus was detected in a pig on a small backyard farm in Oregon.
While officials assure us that our bacon is still safe 🥓 (phew!), this unexpected discovery has experts raising an eyebrow. Why? Because pigs can be like party hosts for viruses, mixing and matching genes to create new, potentially dangerous strains that could affect humans. 😬
Richard Webby, a virologist from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (and advisor to the WHO—yes, that WHO), said it's less worrisome since it happened on a tiny farm rather than a massive pig operation. But he warned that if pigs start passing it among themselves, it's a whole different ball game. 🏈
The Oregon farm is now on lockdown. All the pigs and poultry there have been culled (sadly 😢) to stop any spread. They're also keeping a close eye on other animals like sheep and goats, just in case.
So, how did this happen? Apparently, the pigs and chickens were sharing everything—water, shelter, equipment—you name it! Talk about too much sharing! 🙈 Experts say this cozy setup likely helped the virus make the leap.
Marie Culhane, a professor at the University of Minnesota, says this is a wake-up call for pig farmers everywhere to stay alert. 🐖👀 \"Pigs are especially vulnerable to flu viruses,\" she says, emphasizing the need for extra caution.
Meanwhile, the news shook up the markets. Lean hog futures dropped at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange after the USDA's announcement. Even though these pigs weren't part of the commercial food chain, investors are jittery. 📉
Just a heads-up: the H5N1 virus isn't new on the scene. It's been causing trouble worldwide, with 36 human cases this year alone, mostly among farm workers handling sick birds. Since 2022, over 100 million poultry birds in the U.S. have been culled due to this pesky virus. 🦠🐔
Stay tuned, folks, and maybe give your local farmer a shoutout for keeping an eye on things! 👩🌾🙌
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
