A recent case of severe bird flu in a Louisiana patient has sparked alarm, highlighting the increasing threat of the virus spreading to humans. Dr. Leana Wen discusses the implications of this case, including the virus's mutations and the potential for co-infection with seasonal flu.
The following is the full transcript of an interview with Dr. Leana Wen on 'Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan' that aired on Dec. 29, 2024.MAJOR GARRETT: Last week, the US reported its first severe case of bird flu found in a patient in Louisiana. For more, we're joined by Dr. Leana Wynn. She is the former Baltimore health commissioner. Dr Leana Wynn, it's great to have you with us. So bird flu , is this report out of Louisiana worrisome? And if so, why?DR.
LEANA WEN: Well, it's one more sign that the drum beat of bird flu coming closer to humans is becoming a major threat. So, we've already seen this year that there have been a number of mammalian species close to humans that now have bird flu outbreaks. We have outbreaks in poultry in all 50 states. 16 states have outbreaks in cattle. In California, in the last 30 days, there have been more than 300 herds that tested positive, and now we have 66 cases of bird flu in humans, and this is almost certainly a significant undercount, because we have not been doing nearly enough testing. So, we really don't know the extent of bird flu that's out there in humans. But this particular case, it's someone who is severely ill. But not only that, researchers have isolated the virus in this individual who is sick in Louisiana, and they found that this particular strain of the virus appears to have acquired mutations that make it more likely to bind to airway receptors. Bird flu has been around for a long time-- MAJOR GARRETT: -- About 30 years-- DR. LEANA WEN: Yeah, exactly. But it hasn't been a major issue in humans, because while it spreads among birds, it hasn't really spread among mammals. But now there is this mutation, and there's another concern now, too which is that we're in flu season, and it's possible that a single person could have bird flu and seasonal flu at the same tim
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