Panic as Newer, Deadly Bird Flu Strain Emerges

Different versions of viruses continue to be uncovered in the United States.
According to the Nevada Department of Agriculture, a new strain of H5N1 bird flu has spread to six dairy herds within the state, leaving the major possibility humans could contract the illness.
Join us to hear about the latest health risk citizens of America will have to protect themselves from…
MORE: Follow Wonderwall on MSN for more fun celebrity & entertainment photo galleries and content

The latest variant — D1.1 — vastly differs from the previous strain, B3.13, as the latest version can seriously harm humans.
While D1.1 was found in the herd of the landlocked state, the other version was detected in more dairy herds throughout America.
The new form was first discovered in birds and people who interacted with the infected animals.

The CDC confirmed that around 957 dairy herds and more than 153 million poultry have been affected by bird flu in the United States.
Unfortunately, due to the virus, customers have seen an egg shortage and prices skyrocketing.
The D1.1 variant reportedly took the life of a senior citizen in Louisiana and a teenager in Canada last year. However, the specific strain was also found in farm workers in the state of Washington who only exhibited mild symptoms.

Dr. Scott Hensley, a microbiologist specializing in the flu virus at the University of Pennsylvania, gave his take on the discovery in an interview with CNN.

"It's much easier to control virus spread when you're talking about a virus spreading from cow to cow than controlling spread from birds to cows," he explained.
Professor Bobbi Pritt of the Mayo Clinic gave a stern warning about a possible transfer of the strain to human beings during a chat with the Daily Express US.

"If the virus were to mutate and gain the ability to efficiently spread from person to person, then this could result in a large outbreak or even a global pandemic," he revealed.
The bird flu update comes as a microorganism called the Camp Hill virus was discovered in the shrews of Alabama, leading to what could be the first "henipavirus" in North America.
"Henipaviruses have caused serious disease and death in people and animals in other regions," Dr. Rhys Parry from the School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences revealed in a message on The University of Queensland's website.

"The closest known henipavirus to Camp Hill virus that has caused disease in humans is Langya virus, which crossed from shrews to humans in China," she explained. "This indicates that shrew-to-human transmission can occur."
"The discovery of a henipavirus in North America is highly significant, as it suggests these viruses may be more globally distributed than previously thought," the expert stated.