Bird Flu Spreads To Cats, Possibly Horses As Officials Signal No Plans To Authorize Vaccination

Avian flu has continued to make headlines as cases extend beyond cattle and poultry; the flu has now affected cats and possibly horses. The flu has begun to affect the American consumer as egg prices soar.

The Latest On Bird Flu: A recent research study from the University of Glasgow found the virus is possibly spreading to horses in Mongolia and suggests the horses could spread the flu to humans. Professor Pablo Murcia, who led the research, told SkyNews that knowledge of wildlife infections will help scientists monitor the virus.

Two cats in Los Angeles died from consuming raw milk that contained the virus, KTLA reports. Cats can be exposed to the flu by eating infected birds or consuming unpasteurized milk from infected cattle. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health noted that cats have reportedly been infected with the virus after drinking unpasteurized milk elsewhere.

Officials at the Wildlife World Zoo in Litchfield Park, Arizona, announced that five animals at the zoo died of avian flu, according to ABC15. The perished animals include a cheetah, a mountain lion, a swamphen, an Andean goose, and a kookaburra. A white tiger has also tested positive but is expected to make a full recovery.

In late November, a human in Canada who had been infected by the flu showed indications of mutation. This is a sign the flu could spread more easily.

Bird Flu Vaccine: Biden Administration officials told NBC News on Wednesday they have no plans to authorize a bird flu vaccine.

Pfizer Inc PFE, Moderna Inc MRNA and GSK plc GSK have reportedly worked toward developing a bird flu vaccine.

A bird blu vaccine could be imperiled by an incoming presidential administration that is unreceptive to the scientific community. President-elect Donald Trump‘s pick for secretary of Health and Human Services, vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has previously made several demonstrably false associations between vaccination and autism.

The New York Times reported on Friday that Kennedy’s lawyer asked the FDA to revoke approval of the polio vaccine. The polio vaccine has nearly eradicated polio in the United States. It has saved millions of lives and eliminated tens of millions of cases of paralysis. A May study by Lanclet found that vaccines have saved 154 million lives throughout human history.

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