Governor Jeff Landry: "A horrific act of violence took place on Bourbon Street earlier this morning. Please join Sharon and I in praying for all the victims and first responders on scene."

New Orleans authorities are responding to a "mass casualty incident" in which at least 12 people have died and 35 have been injured after a vehicle drove into a crowd in the city's bustling Bourbon Street area during the early hours of New Year's Day.

Federal health officials say that not only has a Louisiana resident contracted the first severe case of bird flu in the U.S., but that the virus likely mutated in the patient. The findings raise concern regarding the adaptability of the virus.

The CDC previously confirmed the first severe human case of bird flu in Louisiana, but now the CDC has confirmed a virus mutation. Find out more here

Health experts are raising concerns after genetic sampling of the first severe H5N1 bird flu case in the U.S. Map shows US states where 'damaging' Arctic blast will hit first - and more to come Look inside the Breakers,