WHO’s chief scientist, Jeremy Farrar, emphasised the alarming evolution of the virus, which initially contaminated geese and chickens earlier than spreading to mammals, together with people. The present outbreak, which started in 2020, has resulted within the deaths of hundreds of thousands of animals, with considerations mounting because the virus adapts to contaminate people and doubtlessly transmit between people.
The outbreak initially emerged in industrial turkey farms within the US in early 2020 and has since affected a variety of animals, together with wild birds, land mammals, and marine species. Notably, the virus has additionally affected cows and goats, a stunning improvement for specialists who didn’t contemplate these animals vulnerable to avian influenza.
While human infections with avian influenza viruses are uncommon, they will happen via contact with contaminated birds or animals. The CDC explains that contaminated birds shed the virus via varied bodily fluids, and people can turn into contaminated via contact with these fluids or via inhalation.
Despite the absence of proof indicating human-to-human transmission of the influenza A(H5N1) virus, Farrar highlighted the numerous variety of instances the place people have been contaminated via contact with animals, leading to an alarmingly excessive mortality price. According to WHO knowledge from 2003 to April 1, 2024, there have been 889 human instances reported throughout 23 international locations, with 463 fatalities, indicating a case fatality price of 52%.
The WHO continues to watch the state of affairs intently and urges sturdy measures to stop additional unfold of the virus and mitigate its affect on public well being.
