Bird flu outbreak reported at Utah mink farm

 

Photo credit:  St. George News.

Headline:  The Telegraph, 9/2/2026

Maeve Cullinan reports:

H5N1 has been detected on a US mink farm for the first time, igniting fears the infected animals could present a human pandemic risk. 

The bird flu virus, which has “jumped” from birds to numerous mammal species and infected hundreds of people in recent years, was detected in at least six mink on a farm in Utah in mid-August, according to a notification from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) released over the weekend. 

Mink in captivity have previously been described as pandemic “time bombs”. The size and density of the farms gives invading viruses a perfect environment in which to mutate. Mink also have strikingly similar respiratory systems to humans, which greatly increases the human risk. [emphasis added]

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