Emmanuel Todd Lopez: Horrified epidemiologists urge farmers to stop emu deaths from bird flu

Virologists say they were shocked after viral social media posts from an influencer and farm owner showed him hugging tick tockIts most famous emu, it is affectionately known as Emmanuel Todd Lopez after its shrink Avian flu.

Experts are warning our To stop embracing peasants and Coming into close contact with infected birdsBecause it can be “extremely dangerous”.

One expert says it’s “no different than exposure Bird flu From bird markets or wet markets to anywhere in the world.

The warning comes after an outpouring of grief and support for Taylor Blake, an influencer whose family owned a bird farm. FloridaAt Knuckle Bump Farms, 50 birds died after being attacked by the disease.

Among the birds affected by the disease, but still alive, is the Emanuel Emu.

“I’m still trying to wrap my head around it,” Ms Blake wrote. “We thought we were out of the woods, when Emmanuel unexpectedly went down this past Wednesday.”

The Twitter thread is going viral as Emmanuel has previously become the most followed bird on TikTok for constantly interrupting Miss Blake’s video recording And pecking at his phone. The firm’s TikTok account has amassed over 2.4 million followers.

Ms Blake said she was looking for avian specialists who could treat Emmanuel for nerve damage in his right leg and foot, saying he would “do anything and go into any amount of debt to save his life”.

But while social media users were “devastated” by the news, Several virologists and veterinarian An alarm was raised over photos shared by Ms Blake who was seen hugging, kissing and cuddling the infected bird.

“This is how zoonotic infections occur, which is why entire farms are killing sick birds. We live with the threat of pandemic flu,” wrote Boghuma Kabisen Titaniz, an Emory University doctor and global health and infectious disease researcher.

“It may sound cute but it’s no different than exposure to bird flu from bird markets or wet markets anywhere else in the world. It carries a risk and the public should be educated about it,” he added.

American virologist Angela Rasmussen said she “screamed” after seeing the pictures and urged people not to hug, touch or kiss avian flu because it can be “extremely dangerous to humans and other animals”.

He recommended euthanasia for birds infected with dangerous flu.

Another virologist, Tom Peacock, who works as a flu researcher at Imperial College London, wrote a lengthy Twitter thread that began by repeating his colleagues’ warnings, telling people not to touch or attempt to treat infected or dead birds.

“We are entering the third year of unprecedented levels of circulation of a highly pathogenic avian influenza virus in Europe – the culprit is H5N1 – with a similar virus causing the current outbreak in North America,” he wrote in another tweet.

“There have also been several human infections among chicken workers and keepers. It is highly likely that there will be more cases if this epizootic continues,” he said.

When asked about the number of bird infections in humans, he said that “there have been very few cases in the current outbreak”, with previous avian flu epidemics “ending in hundreds of deaths”.

Ms Blake, in another tweet, said she was taking “every precaution recommended by the FDA”, was “in full agreement with the state” and said the fake bump farms were placed in “full quarantine for 150 days”.

But he added that “Emmanuel gets scared every time we approach him with the mask on”, but said he and his girlfriend isolated the emu and sanitized themselves “before and after entering his stall”.

A highly contagious strain, according to the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Avian influenza The particular strain has claimed the lives of millions of wild birds and domestic poultry as it spreads across the United States.

It also confirmed one case of human infection in May. The Colorado man caught it at a commercial poultry facility and has since recovered.

Although infection in humans is rare, people can contract the disease “if the virus gets into a person’s eyes, nose, or mouth, or is inhaled,” according to the CDC.