A new theory on why most U.S. bird flu cases have so far been mild

Researchers believe immunity to an earlier virus may play a role, but not everyone agrees.

July 23, 2025 Check out STAT+

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Natosha Via for STAT Kentucky's campaign to improve rural cancer care is a national model. Federal cuts threaten its progress Kentucky has improved rural cancer care access and quality, but looming Medicaid cuts threaten hospitals, screenings, and preventive services By Ted Alcorn HHS Secretary RFK Jr. accepts recommendations to drop thimerosal from U.S. flu vaccines Thimerosal, long a target of anti-vaccine activists despite ample safety evidence, was recommended for removal from flu vaccines by Kennedy's expert advisors. By Helen Branswell New study advances theory on why most U.S. bird flu cases have so far been mild New study using ferrets, closest animal model for human flu, found influenza A infection, H1N1 in particular, may boost immunity to avian flu. By Helen Branswell Alex Hogan/STAT STAT goes on a MAHA food crawl In STATus Report Episode 7, Alex Hogan puts MAHA-inspired foods to the test — beef tallow fries, cane sugar Coca-Cola, and ice cream without artificial dyes. By Alex Hogan Researchers sequence complex parts of human genome, expanding the future of precision medicine "Landmark" study published in Nature solves 92% of missing data in the human genome, offers unprecedented map of genomic variation across ancestries. By Veronica Paulus STAT+ | Apple and Elevance's asthma study shows wearables can help improve health for lower-income people, too  A digital intervention using the Apple Watch and a smartphone app helped people on Medicaid better control their asthma. By Mario Aguilar Courtesy Jeremy Messler STAT+ | Solid tumors have challenged CAR-T developers. This biotech raised $216 million to test a new approach Dispatch Bio is developing a universal immunotherapy by trying to install a synthetic protein — called the "flare" antigen — on every cancer cell in a patient's body. By Angus Chen and Allison DeAngelis Opinion: Climate disasters create life-threatening disruptions for people on methadone Communities most susceptible to natural disasters have the least access to methadone treatment and are most likely to suffer disruptions to treatment. By Leslie W. Suen, Kate E. Roberts, and Rachel Luba

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