CDC Confirms Likely Bird Flu Mutation: Here Are 5 Things We Know

Multiple researchers have responded to the CDC’s findings.

This colorized electron microscope image released by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases on March 26, 2024, shows avian influenza A H5N1 virus particles (yellow), grown in Madin-Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) epithelial cells (blue). CDC/NIAID via AP, File

A genetic analysis suggests the bird flu virus mutated inside a Louisiana patient who contracted the nation’s first severe case of the illness, federal health officials said this week.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said its researchers compared viruses obtained from the Louisiana case to a virus that came from infected birds on the patient’s property.