Extreme heat is likely an important factor behind the biggest bird flu outbreak in humans in the US as officials continue to track the virus’ proliferation. If the first time a cluster of human cases of bird flu has been reported in the country.
Unbearable temperatures in Colorado likely caused personal protective equipment not to function correctly for people culling poultry having H5N1, a highly pathogenic bird flu. Five people have tested positive for H5N1, according to officials.
Climate change amplifying outbreaks of deadly diseases
Climate change has been linked to intense heat across the US and almost in every other country across the globe. The brutal human-caused emergency has been elevating temperatures to dangerous levels. In fact, 2024 could become the hottest year on record.
Experts fear that the climate crisis can amplify outbreaks of deadly diseases like bird flu. Climate change has also been linked to the emergence and broader spread of pathogens like these, including unprecedented migratory patterns for H5N1-infected wild birds.
Bird flu has a mortality rate of about 50% among humans. In Colorado, the people infected had been culling a flock of chickens that had tested positive for the virus. Temperatures reached 40 degrees Celsius outside, but it got even hotter in the chicken houses.
Extreme heat making it difficult to put on PPE
People engaged in the hard manual process found it difficult to keep their goggles and masks sealed on their faces in the higher temperatures. Enormous industrial fans operating inside to stave off even higher temperatures also spread feathers and debris, potentially the virus too.
Of the 160 people on the farm in Colorado, 60 developed symptoms and five eventually tested positive for H5N1. The remaining 55 tested negative for the virus at the state health lab and some of them were diagnosed with other respiratory illnesses.
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