The New York State Department of Health issued a health advisory Wednesday about the emergence of a new strain of mpox (formerly monkeypox).

The first case of mpox clade Ib in New York State was confirmed in a symptomatic individual who had recently traveled from Africa.

The present risk to the public remains low, the department noted, and there are no additional known community cases of this strain in New York State currently.

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State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald shared that the infected individual is under the care of a physician and isolated "until the full resolution of symptoms."

"There is no known local transmission of mpox clade Ib in the community where the individual lives or anywhere within New York State," he said in a statement.

McDonald added that the JYNNEOS vaccine, which is a two-dose preventative vaccine series for mpox, is "expected to be effective" against this new strain.

"[It is] available for individuals at risk with the standing order I signed last year," he noted. "There is no immediate risk to the general public."

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The health department added in its advisory that individuals should inquire with their local pharmacy or healthcare provider about vaccine availability as they continue to "monitor and maintain the situation."

Mpox is "rarely fatal," according to the department, but can be dangerous for people with immunocompromising conditions, as well as older adults, young children and pregnant women.

Symptoms can include rashes that progress to "painful skin lesions," in addition to swollen lymph nodes, fever, sore throat, headaches, back pain, low energy and muscle aches, the department listed.

There is a "high likelihood of transmission" until these lesions scab over, which means infected individuals are encouraged to isolate until new skin forms at the lesion site.

Mpox can spread through close, intimate contact with sores, scabs or rashes, the department stated, as well as through the respiratory droplets, saliva or mucus of an infected person.

Those who plan to travel to areas with reported cases of mpox should consider being vaccinated with the two doses of JYNNEOS, experts recommend.

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Dr. Myles Druckman, global medical director at International SOS in California, told Fox News Digital that there have been reports of this strain in several countries in Central and Eastern Africa.

"We’re finding that other countries have also reported travel-associated cases of clade I, including Belgium, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Oman, Pakistan, South Sudan, Sweden, Thailand, the United Kingdom and Zimbabwe," he noted.

"It's important to recognize that cases of this strain are expected due to the ongoing outbreak in multiple countries and the risks associated with global travel."

Mpox can be infectious for up to four days before symptoms occur, but it is most contagious from the time symptoms appear until about two to four weeks later, according to Druckman.

The expert emphasized that vaccination is recommended for high-risk individuals, such as healthcare workers with high exposure or people with weakened immune systems.

"Prevention of mpox is mainly through vaccination and avoiding skin-to-skin contact with others – especially those with symptoms or visible outbreaks – and observing good personal hygiene and washing hands well and frequently," he added.

A new type of bird flu has been detected in a human dairy worker in Nevada.

This strain is different from the version that’s been spreading in herds since last year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

The case was apparently mild, as the Churchill County dairy worker was not hospitalized and has recovered, the Associated Press reported, citing health officials.

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The person mainly experienced eye redness and irritation, similar to most bird flu cases associated with dairy cows, according to the AP.

While the new bird flu strain, D1.1, has been reported in more than a dozen humans exposed to infected poultry, this is the first cow-to-human case.

In a press release addressing the situation, the Central Nevada Health District (CNHD) confirmed there is no evidence of this virus being spread from the infected individual to other people.

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The CDC noted on its website that bird flu’s risk to the general public remains low.

But those who are in constant and close contact with cows, poultry and other animals are at a higher risk — and are encouraged to wear protective equipment and take necessary precautions.

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Jacob Glanville, CEO of Centivax in San Francisco, commented in a statement to Fox News Digital that within a week of the D1.1 strain being detected in Nevada cows, there was already a human infection.

"This isn’t the first D1.1 human infection: It has already resulted in an American death, a severe illness, and some other infections in five other states," the expert said.

"The significance of this new infection is to reveal how quickly we go from cattle infections to human spillover."

Glanville confirmed that the cattle infections of the D1.1 strain prove that it contains mammalian adaptive mutations. 

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"While we have yet to see human-to-human transmission, with such rapid progression from cattle to human cases, it may only be a matter of time before an H5N1 pandemic," he said.

Fox News Digital reached out to the CDC for further comment.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.

An Ebola outbreak has been reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

At least a dozen cases of the hemorrhagic fever have been reported in the Bolamba health zone, which is located in the Équateur Province in the DRC. Eight deaths have been reported.

Colomba Mampuya, president of the Red Cross/Ecuador committee, reportedly shared the information with media on Jan. 27.

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Meanwhile, the neighboring country of Tanzania has been grappling with an outbreak of Marburg fever.

"This is an unusually high death rate, even for Ebola," said Jacob Glanville, CEO and president of biotechnology company Centivax in San Francisco.

"This suggests either that more active cases have been identified, or that this strain is more lethal than average for prior strains, or that medical care was unusually poor for these subjects," he told Fox News Digital. 

The cases were identified in isolated villages, which improves the odds of outbreak isolation and increases the chance that medical care was substandard, Glanville noted. 

"However, biopsy samples should immediately be sequenced to rule out a new and potentially more lethal form of Ebola," he said.

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Samuel Scarpino, director of AI and life sciences and professor of health sciences at Northeastern University in Boston, reiterated that the ongoing situation in rural DRC is "quite serious."

"While the risk of widespread transmission is likely low, local impacts could still be substantial," he told Fox News Digital. 

"It is essential that the international community provides medical and public health support to DRC and that vaccines be made quickly available in both the affected and surrounding areas."

Both experts agreed that the U.S. is not at risk.

"Because Ebola only spreads from symptomatic individuals, the risk that a traveler could spark a small cluster of cases outside of DRC is very low," Scarpino said.

"We will be watching the situation closely, but currently, the risk to the U.S. is incredibly low."

Ebola occurs when someone is infected with orthoebolavirus zairense, which is a virus mainly found in sub-Saharan Africa, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The virus was first discovered in 1976 in the DRC.

The resulting disease is life-threatening, causing death in up to 90% of cases.

Initial symptoms of Ebola disease include "dry" symptoms like fever, aches, pains and fatigue, the CDC stated.

As the disease progresses, the person may experience "wet" symptoms like diarrhea, vomiting and unexplained bleeding.

Symptoms usually begin within eight to 10 days of exposure, according to the same source.

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The sickness is spread through contact with bodily fluids from someone who has been infected. 

In rare cases, it may spread from contact with an infected animal.

The best ways to prevent infection are to avoid contact with bodily fluids of infected people, to wear the proper protective equipment in high-risk environments, and to monitor for symptoms to ensure timely medical attention.

There are two FDA-approved medications (monoclonal antibodies) available to treat Ebola disease: mAb114 (Ansuvimab, also known as Ebanga) and REGN-EB3 (Inmazeb).

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Patients should also receive supportive care, including fluids and electrolytes, medicine to treat symptoms and any necessary treatment for infections, according to the CDC.

Cases of tularemia, also known as "rabbit fever," are on the rise in the U.S., according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Caused by the bacteria Francisella tularensis, the disease commonly infects rabbits, hares and rodents. However, it is zoonotic, which means it can spread from animals to humans.

The bacteria is a "tier-1 select agent," a classification given to agents and toxins that "present the greatest risk of deliberate misuse with significant potential for mass casualties or devastating effects to the economy, critical infrastructure or public confidence, and pose a severe threat to public health and safety," per the CDC. 

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Although tularemia is relatively rare, with only 2,462 diagnoses between 2011 and 2022, cases have risen 56% compared to the prior decade (2001 to 2010), as reported in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

"Increased reporting of probable cases might be associated with an actual increase in human infection, improved tularemia detection or both," the report states.

Daniel Ruderfer, M.D., chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Hackensack Meridian K. Hovnanian Children's Hospital in New Jersey, believes that the increase in cases is mostly due to improved microbiology detection methods.

"The traditional method of confirming cases has historically been via growth in culture and antibody testing," he told Fox News Digital. 

"However, newer detection methods, such as PCR testing, are likely a major contributor to the increase in reported cases."

Humans can contract the disease through bites from deer flies or ticks, contact with infected animals, or exposure to contaminated water or aerosols, the same source stated.

Symptoms of tularemia can vary depending on the type of disease.

General symptoms include chills, headache, malaise, fatigue, anorexia, myalgia, chest discomfort, cough, severe sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain, according to Ruderfer.

"Depending on the location of the infected bit or scratch, people can develop localized lymphadenopathy (enlarged lymph nodes) and a cutaneous ulcer at the infection site," he said. 

"Other manifestations include conjuctivitis, pneumonia and potentially even bloodstream infections."

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The death rate from the disease is typically low, less than 2%, but the CDC noted that it can be as high as 24% in rare, severe cases.

Tularemia can be treated with antibiotics, but no vaccine is currently available.

"The infection is absolutely dangerous and potentially life-threatening if not treated with appropriate antibiotics," said Ruderfer.

Those most at risk include children between 5 and 9 years of age, older men, American Indian and Alaskan Native people, and those living in central U.S. states, according to the report.

The general population is not at an "obvious" risk for infection unless they come into physical contact with an infected rabbit, tick or deer fly, the expert noted. 

Those who hunt or interact routinely with rabbits should see a doctor if they develop any concerning symptoms, he advised.

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"Many factors might contribute to the higher risk for tularemia in this population, including the concentration of Native American reservations in central states and sociocultural or occupational activities that might increase contact with infected wildlife or arthropods," the CDC wrote.

The bird flu outbreak continues to grow in the U.S., with state officials confirming infected flocks in two additional Michigan counties on Monday.

Following an investigation by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD), the Michigan State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory detected the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) at two commercial poultry facilities in Ottawa County and at a backyard flock in Jackson County.

The affected premises are currently under quarantine, and the birds will be "depopulated" to prevent disease spread, according to a statement from MDARD. 

The efforts also help to ensure the safety and integrity of the commercial food supply, according to officials.

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"Slowing the spread of HPAI to protect human health is a top priority at MDARD," said MDARD Director Tim Boring. "Implementing on-farm biosecurity and expanding the state's HPAI surveillance efforts are key strategies to prevent opportunities for the virus to infect domestic animal species and potentially spread and become a more concerning human threat."

HPAI, also known as bird flu, is a highly contagious virus that can be spread in various ways from flock to flock — including by wild birds — through contact with infected animals, by equipment, and on the clothing and shoes of caretakers, according to MDARD. 

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"Even though the weather is cold, HPAI continues to circulate in wild bird populations, creating ideal conditions for the virus to thrive and spread," said state veterinarian Nora Wineland. "It's critical to prevent disease introduction by taking biosecurity measures, such as keeping domestic animals away from wild birds and cleaning and disinfecting equipment between uses."

MDARD said it is continuing to work diligently with local, state, and federal partners to quickly respond to reports of sick domestic animals to best mitigate the spread of HPAI and provide outreach.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the public health risk associated with avian influenza remains low. No birds or bird products infected with HPAI will enter the commercial food chain. 

As a reminder, people should properly handle and cook all poultry and eggs.

Just days after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued a new order that all raw (unpasteurized) milk must be tested for bird flu, reports have emerged of animals dying of the virus.

In Los Angeles County, the public health department is investigating the deaths of two cats that reportedly consumed recalled raw milk.

After drinking the milk, the felines displayed symptoms that included lack of appetite, fever and neurologic issues, according to a press release from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

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"The infected cats died after severe worsening of their illness, and subsequently tested positive for influenza A, a rare result in cats," the release stated.

Health officials are considering these "suspected H5 bird flu cases" and confirmatory testing is underway.

Cats can contract bird flu by consuming infected birds or other animals or drinking raw milk from infected cows, according to health officials.

Although it is possible for cats to transmit influenza strains to humans, there have been no reports of it happening with the current H5 bird flu outbreak.

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"The risk of H5 bird flu remains low in Los Angeles County, but this suspected case of the virus in a pet cat that consumed raw milk is a reminder that consuming raw dairy products can lead to severe illness in cats," said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, in the release. 

"To avoid the spread of disease, including H5 bird flu, we strongly encourage residents and their pets to avoid raw dairy and undercooked meat products, limit contact with sick or dead animals, report sick or dead birds, and keep pets or poultry away from wild animals and birds."

Fox News Digital reached out to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health for additional comment.

Meanwhile, at the Wildlife World Zoo in Maricopa County, Arizona, a few resident animals have reportedly died after becoming infected with bird flu.

Local reports stated that a cheetah, a mountain lion, a swamphen, an Indian goose and a kookaburra died as a result of bird flu, according to a zoo official.

A white tiger also was confirmed to be infected but "appeared to be responding to treatment," per the report.

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"Maricopa County Department of Public Health (MCDPH) is working closely with state and federal partners to respond to detection of avian influenza in a small number of animals that are part of a zoo collection in Litchfield Park," health officials stated in a press release this week.

"Overall risk to the public and zoo visitors remains low."

A zoo representative provided an update to Fox News Digital on Friday.

"Fortunately, we are nine days out without anymore positive cases," the spokesperson said. "We also have not had any positive cases with any of our employees or volunteers as a result of avian influenza."

"We are all devastated by the loss of five cherished animals, but with over 6,000 animals, we are grateful that the impact was limited thanks to our swift response and robust protocols."

Continued outbreaks have also been reported among dairy cattle, poultry, waterfowl and wild birds in multiple U.S. states.

Sam Scarpino, PhD, director of AI and life sciences at Northeastern University in Boston, said the animal deaths are "continued signs" that the situation with H5N1 in the U.S. is "getting worse, not better."

"The reported infections in humans and now domestic cats due to their consumption of raw milk also highlights how dangerous it is for people to consume raw milk," he told Fox News Digital. 

"It’s important that we take steps to better control the transmission of H5N1 in dairy cows and better understand how it’s spreading between states in the U.S."

Dr. Jacob Glanville, CEO of Centivax, a San Francisco biotechnology company, warned that H5N1 has been found in "relatively high concentrations" in raw milk.

"Without pasteurizing it, the virus remains viable in the milk and could potentially infect someone who drinks it," he told Fox News Digital. 

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"It’s not that common of an occurrence, as we’ve not seen a rash of H5N1 infections from raw milk drinkers, but the virus is mutating and is therefore a potential risk."

Although most cows have only had mild infection, Glanville noted that the strain has been "highly virulent" in birds, ferrets and primates.

"Studies indicate that even a single mutation could significantly enhance its infectivity in humans," he said.

"Given the virus’ ability to persist in milk and infect mucosal membranes, along with the potential for a pandemic, avoiding raw milk is strongly recommended," Glanville added.

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The expert also emphasized that it’s critical to only drink pasteurized milk to prevent the spread of harmful pathogens commonly found in raw milk.