IT’S CONFIRMED: WE HAVE OUR FIRST TERRIFYING CASE OF CAT TO HUMAN BIRD FLU INFECTION
Well, I suppose there just wasn’t enough to worry about. Because that’s the only emotional reason I can process this latest, disturbing news. And it is not good news, at all. Because earlier this month, we got word that for the first time ever that we have a documented case of a cat transmitting bird flu to a human being. If you don’t immediately understand why that’s BAD, I’ll explain. Bird flu, obviously, is something that we’ve associated for years as having to do with birds. Primarily, humans have caught bird flu from chickens, turkeys and ducks. Fairly recently, humans have also gotten bird flu from dairy cattle.
UNTIL NOW, HUMANS GOT BIRD FLU FROM POULTRY, COWS AND RAW MILK
Specifically, human infection from these animals has come from direct exposure to sick animals’ saliva, mucous, feces, or unpasteurized milk. And that makes sense, considering human likely exposure in the industries that focus on those animals. It was bad enough when bird flu became an issue with unpasteurized milk, for a host (yes, a host) of reasons. But someone who fed their cat a diet of raw meat and raw milk has changed the dynamics for much the worse. Because their cat got infected with the bird flu, H5N1 in particular, and then gave it to two people in the house, and then to a vet who treated the cat. That’s bad, and really scary.
Related:
Raw Milk Demand Surges, Idiots Think It Gives Bird Flu Immunity
BUT MILLIONS OF HOUSEHOLDS HAVE A PET CAT, AND THE EXPOSURE IS ALL BUT GUARANTEED
Why? Well, for one because of the number of domesticated cats who live with people. They sleep on our laps, in our beds, rub their faces all over us, and cat hair covered in feline saliva is literally everywhere. If a cat gets bird flu, the people around it will catch it too. But H5N1 is always, always evolving. And every time it gets a totally new system to evolve in, it becomes more dangerous. Now, it is passing from cats to humans. So far, this strain is only hitting infected humans with mild symptoms. But that also means that mild symptoms won’t cause people to isolate, which means more chances to spread and evolve.
One human giving bird flu to another human hasn’t happened, yet. But adding cats (another mammal) to the bird flu mix, living in millions upon millions of households, is literally terrifying. You can read more about this first case here.
