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More and more mammals are becoming infected with bird flu. The WHO sees this as a potential danger to humans.
Normally, the H5N1 viruses only spread among birds. But the increased occurrence in mammals indicates modifications of the virus. So the virus could adapt even further and then infect humans, since humans are biologically more similar to mammals than to birds. This is what the World Health Organization (WHO) writes in a communication.
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Keystone/Gian Ehrenzeller
Since 2022, ten countries on three continents have reported cases of mammalian avian influenza to the WHO. It can be assumed that far more countries are affected, but simply no outbreaks have been discovered or reported there. Avian influenza affects both terrestrial and marine mammals.
For example, the WHO is aware of cases in mink in Spain, seals in the USA or sea lions in Peru and Chile. The H5N1 virus has been detected in at least 26 different animal species. This does not stop at pets either. Avian flu has been detected in a cat in Poland.
Transmission of the bird virus to humans is still rare
Eight human infections with the virus have been registered since December 2021. These cases were due to close contact with infected birds. Nevertheless, caution is advised, because infection in a human can lead to serious illness and a high mortality rate.
dr Sylvie Briand, Director of Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention at the WHO, explains the latent danger to humans: “According to the information available so far, the virus does not appear to be easily transmissible from person to person, but vigilance is required to avoid to identify any development of the virus that could change that.”
In order to save as many animals as possible and not to endanger humans, the World Health Organization is now calling for international cooperation. Nations are to monitor developments of the virus more closely and improve capabilities to detect human cases. This is important because countries around the world are also affected that have so far had little experience in monitoring the bird flu virus.