The World Health Organization has raised concerns about the global spread of H5N1 avian flu due to its exceptionally high fatality rate.
An epidemic that began in 2020 led to the deaths or culling of millions of chickens.
Recently, there has been a spread of bird flu to various mammal species, including domestic cattle in the United States, posing a risk of human infection.
The virus has now been detected in milk, raising fears of potential transmission to humans.
Surprisingly, cows and goats have been found infected, which was unexpected by researchers who did not anticipate these species being vulnerable to bird flu.
In Texas, a person is recovering from the virus after exposure to dairy cattle.
Sixteen farms across six states have been affected, likely due to exposure to infected wild birds.
Jeremy Farrar, a top researcher at the UN’s healthcare agency, emphasized the significant concern posed by this development.
He noted that the virus, initially circulating among ducks and chickens, has now crossed over to other animals and has the potential to spread to humans, eventually leading to human-to-human transmission.
While there is currently no evidence of H5N1 spreading among humans, Farrar highlighted that several cases have occurred where people were infected through contact with wildlife.
The fatality rate of the virus is extremely high due to humans lacking a natural defense against it.
Between 2003 and 2024, 889 cases and 463 deaths related to bird flu have been reported across 23 countries, resulting in a mortality rate of 52%.
