Concerns Rise as Bird Flu Spreads, Warns Animal Health Organization
The escalation of bird flu across an expanding range of species and its broader geographical dispersion has amplified concerns about the potential for human infections, stated Monique Eloit, the director-general of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), on Thursday.
Eloit’s remarks follow reports from the U.S. government detailing cases of the disease in dairy cows across several states and a human infection in Texas. She noted that the situation would be particularly alarming if transmission occurred between cows, an aspect that U.S. authorities are actively investigating.
Bird flu, scientifically termed avian influenza, has prompted the culling of hundreds of millions of poultry globally in recent years, primarily transmitted by migrating wild birds.
Despite a reduction in the number of outbreaks this season, the virus has expanded into new territories, including South America and Antarctica, impacting a wider range of animals and devastating colonies of rare species.
While foxes have been the most affected mammal species, the virus has also infected various other animals, including cats, tigers, seals, dolphins, and bears.
Eloit emphasized the concerning trend of the virus spreading to diverse mammalian species over recent months, leading to an elevated risk of human contamination due to a higher viral load.
Although certain bird flu outbreaks have resulted in severe or fatal infections among individuals in close contact with infected animals, sustained human-to-human transmission has not been observed thus far. For the majority of individuals not exposed to infected animals, the risk of contracting the disease remains minimal, as per scientific analysis.
Given the propensity of animal and human flu viruses to mutate, there is apprehension regarding the possibility of the virus evolving into a strain capable of inter-mammalian transmission, including humans.
The European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) issued a warning on Wednesday, highlighting the potential for a widespread bird flu pandemic should the virus acquire transmissibility between humans, as human immunity against such a strain is lacking.
