WTTW-TV (Feb. 4) – [T]his strain of H5N1 has been “unique and devastating” in the scope of its spread and the variety of species involved, said Dr. Stephany Lewis, director of the wildlife medical clinic at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. In addition to expected scavengers like foxes and raccoons, in a startling development, herds of cattle have been infected. Cats are known to be particularly vulnerable, and marine mammals have also succumbed, she said.
“It’s really far-reaching,” Lewis said of the outbreak. “And it doesn’t seem to be going away. It’s not behaving the way it normally does.”