Human cases of bird flu 'an enormous concern': WHO raises alarm on H5N1 surge

NEW DELHI: The World Health Organization expressed concern about the spread of H5N1 bird flu to humans with an "extraordinarily high" mortality rate. The current outbreak, starting in 2020, has caused the deaths of millions of poultry, with wild birds and land and marine mammals also affected.
"This remains an enormous concern," said Jeremy Farrar, the UN health agency's chief scientist in Geneva.
The A (H5N1) strain has become a global zoonotic animal pandemic, Farrar noted, emphasizing the risk of the virus evolving to infect humans and transmit among them. While human-to-human transmission hasn't been observed, mortality rates among those infected through animal contact are high.
Cows and goats recently joined the list, surprising experts as they were not considered susceptible to this influenza type.
From 2023 to April 1 this year, WHO recorded 463 deaths from 889 human cases across 23 countries, with a fatality rate of 52 percent. In a concerning development, a person in Texas contracted bird flu after exposure to dairy cattle, marking the second case in the US and the first human infection from contact with an infected mammal.
UN suggested need for enhanced monitoring to understand the extent of human infections and prepare for potential adaptation of the virus. Efforts towards vaccines and therapeutics for H5N1 are ongoing, with a focus on ensuring global capacity for virus diagnosis.
Ongoing initiatives are aimed at creating vaccines and treatments for H5N1, emphasizing the importance of bolstering the diagnostic capabilities of regional and national health authorities globally.
The goal, according to health experts, is to be prepared for the potential scenario of H5N1 crossing over to humans and spreading person-to-person.
(With agency inputs)