The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports the bird flu germ that infected a resident of Louisiana had gone through several mutations. Scientists compared samples from the patient with samples from the infected chickens in the man’s backyard.
The CDC said the human sample revealed mutations in the hemagglutinin (HA) gene, which attaches to host cells. Despite the mutations, the CDC said it does not think the public faces a danger from the current outbreak of bird flu.
Rather, there are other health threats facing Americans in the coming year. In addition to RSV, the flu and COVID-19, the CDC says pertussis, also known as whooping cough, made a surprising comeback in the U.S. in 2024, causing the largest number of confirmed cases in the last 10 years.
Whooping cough on the rise
As of mid-December, the CDC had received reports of more than 32,000 pertussis cases, five times as many as in 2023. Health officials say there is a vaccine against pertussis but vaccination rates have been declining.
According to the Mayo Clinic, pertussis is a highly contagious respiratory tract infection. Once infected, patients may have a severe cough, followed by “a high-pitched intake of breath” that sounds like "whoop."
Pertussis is generally considered to be a childhood disease and, according to the Clinic, primarily affects children too young to have completed the full course of vaccinations. Teenagers and adults may also be infected if the immunity from their childhood vaccinations has faded. Deaths from the infections are rare.
Walking pneumonia
The CDC is also reporting an alarming rise in respiratory infections caused by the bacteria Mycoplasma pneumoniae, a condition also known as walking pneumonia.
According to the CDC, bacterial infections caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae increased in the United States since late spring and have remained high. The percentage of patients discharged from emergency rooms with a diagnosis of M. pneumoniae-associated pneumonia or acute bronchitis has been increasing over the past six months, peaking in late August.
The CDC said healthcare providers should consider M. pneumoniae as a cause of pneumonia and test when indicated.