@KAPPA-FLU

🦠🌍 Avian flu isn't slowing down. April 13–14, 2026 – WOAH reports: 🦆 H5N1: Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, Germany, UK, Italy, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Colombia, Chile, Brazil, Canada, USA, Nepal, South Africa 🆕 H5N5 (Norway) | H5Nx (USA) wahis.woah.org/#/event-manage…

📄 WOAH follow-up report 10 – Latvia 🗓️ Ongoing since: 2025‑11‑09 🧬 Subtype: H5N2 HPAI (new strain for country) 🦆 Species: Mallard (wild) 🧪 Confirmed: rRT‑PCR (BIOR) 📅 Report date: 2026‑04‑14 No clinical signs. No epidemiological comment. wahis.woah.org/#/in-review/71…

🦢⚠️ H5N1 is back in Greece. First recurrence since March 2025. A whooper swan dead at Lake Kastoria. Confirmed by rRT‑PCR & gene sequencing. Source: unknown. Wild birds = silent spreaders. wahis.woah.org/#/in-review/74…

Ducks in the Mississippi flyway: Seasonal H5N1 infection peaks late fall, then antibodies rise & virus disappears. Same pattern in mallards, pintails & wigeons. 🦆📊 doi.org/10.1139/cjm-20…

Antarctica's H5N1 story: Not one, but multiple introductions from South America. South Georgia = stepping stone. 8 species infected including seals & petrels. 🧬❄️ doi.org/10.1038/s41467…

Duck-origin H5N6 is getting too close for comfort. Mammalian adaptations, airborne transmission in guinea pigs, & dual receptor binding. Pandemic potential rising. 🦆⚠️ doi.org/10.1016/j.vetm…

Good news on pandemic prep: MF59-adjuvanted H5N8 vaccine induces cross-neutralizing antibodies against circulating H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b in ferrets. 💉🦠 doi.org/10.1038/s41541…

Bovine H5N1 viruses just got smarter. Mutations D104G & V147M help them recognize cow receptors better. Fitness ↑ in cattle, but zoonotic risk? Possibly limited (for now). 🐄🧬 doi.org/10.64898/2026.…

Bird flu to cows? New risk model for Denmark shows highest spillover risk Dec–March, especially along coastlines & German border. Time to ramp up surveillance. 🐄🦢 doi.org/10.1016/j.prev…

H5N1 & H5N8 co-infections: New study shows host species determines which virus wins. In chickens? H5N1 dominates. In ducks? H5N8 takes over. 🦆🐔 doi.org/10.1016/j.vetm…

In cooperation with Kappa Flu Partners: Long-distance dispersal of H5N1 in the sub-Antarctic is linked to migratory seabirds (petrels, albatrosses), not just local spread. Wildlife-driven transmission at scale. 🔗 doi.org/10.64898/2026.… #HPAI #Wildlife

Italy H5 spread shifts: poultry-driven → wild-bird mediated long-distance dispersal; landscape & wetlands now key drivers. doi.org/10.1093/ve/vea…

H5N1 environmental persistence: milk-contact sites in US dairies = hotspots for detection. doi.org/10.3390/microo…

Ducks as HPAI H5N1 amplifiers: multi-omics map RIG-I, TLR, JAK/STAT hubs → targets for antivirals/vaccines. doi.org/10.3390/ijms27…

H3N8 Ad-vectored vaccine protects mice & chickens, induces strong humoral + mucosal immunity. doi.org/10.1016/j.vetm…

H5N2 reassortants in Mexican backyard poultry show active viral mixing: HA from Eurasian H5N1, NA from local H5N2 → ongoing evolution. doi.org/10.3390/v18030…

A new paper from Kappa Flu Partner, FLI shows how minor changes in NS1 drive adaptation of avian influenza viruses in seals and enhance function in human cells without affecting the virus fitness in avian cells. journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/jv… #Influenza #Zoonosis #KappaFluPartner

Between 2022–2025, highly pathogenic avian influenza was detected in wild birds, a walrus, and Arctic foxes in Svalbard and Jan Mayen. Even the most remote regions aren’t isolated from global virus spread. biorxiv.org/content/10.648…

Kappa flu partner FLI coauthored a paper in Immunity & showed that pre-existing neutralizing antibodies against cattle-transmitted H5N1 influenza are detectable even in unexposed individuals, highlighting partial pre-existing immunity sciencedirect.com/science/articl…

Kappa flu partners, APHA, detected H5N1 on remote islands..HPAI H5N1 (2.3.4.4b) detected in skuas on Gough Island, South Atlantic. Genomics + tracking suggest long-distance seabird-mediated incursion. doi.org/10.1080/222217…