The Pan American Health Organization reports one more human death from bird flu.
As of August, there had been 76 human cases and two deaths reported across five countries in the Americas, according to the organization. There were 990 patients and 475 deaths reported across 25 countries, for a mortality rate of 48 percent.
Health experts are concerned that more people will become infected as the virus continues to mutate and spread to mammals around the world. The high mortality rate is also a major concern.
The virus has been found to live for weeks in raw milk and for months in cheese made from raw milk.
“In recent years, there has been an increase in detections of A(H5N1) viruses worldwide in non-avian species, including terrestrial and marine mammals, both wild and domestic (mates and breeders),” the Pan American Health Organization said in a report.
Meanwhile, the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) reported dozens of new detections of avian influenza in flocks of wild waterfowl in several states. The virus is easily transmitted from wild birds to domestic flocks, as well as dairy cattle.
APHIS announced detection of H5N1 avian influenza in several states, including in mallard ducks in New Hampshire; black vultures in Indiana, Kentucky, Utah and West Virginia; Canada geese and turkey vulture in Utah; bald eagle and mallard duck in Wisconsin; and an unidentified species of goose in Washington State.
H5N1 has also been found in four different animal species in Montana; green- and blue-winged teal and mallards in Oregon; Canada geese in Arizona and Illinois; seven species in Minnesota; an unidentified duck species in Texas; and green- and blue-winged teal in Wyoming.
A total of 5,063 outbreaks of avian influenza (in domestic flocks) were reported to WOAH by 19 countries and territories in the Region of the Americas, PAHO added.
In the United States, millions of poultry have been killed in attempts to slow the spread of the disease.
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