Avian flu continues to spread at an alarming rate around the world

“Avian Flu: An Unstoppable Global Threat?”

At the end of 2021, experts sounded the alarm about the rapid spread of H5N1 or bird flu. By April 2022, experts were warning that the virus was “rapidly becoming a global problem.”

Now well into 2023, H5N1 continues to spread, with the recent detection of avian flu in mammals such as foxes, otters, mink and grizzly bears, according to recent reports from Agence France-Presse (AFP).

In January, 2,500 endangered seals were found dead on the coast of the Caspian Sea in Russia. AFP says some early samples show at least some seals have tested positive for bird flu, but authorities have yet to confirm the cause of the death.

All mammals tested positive for the PB2 mutation.

Europe is in the midst of its worst H5N1 outbreak on record, while South and North America have been hit hard. In Canada, about 200 flocks containing about 3.5 million birds were infected as of November 2022.

Millions of birds worldwide have been killed due to infection or exposure.

Migratory birds are responsible for some of the recent outbreaks, creating the potential for additional cases as birds return to Canada for the summer.

Avian flu can be fatal to some domesticated birds, including chickens, ducks, and turkeys. It is possible to transmit H5N1 to humans, but cases are rare. experts say. ) H5N1 would have to mutate significantly to spread to humans.

risk to humans

The current outbreak poses no risk to healthy people who have not had contact with infected birds.

According to the World Health Organization, between January 2003 and November 25, 2022, 868 cases of human infection with the avian influenza virus were reported from 21 countries.