The great concern is that by “infecting ducks and chickens and increasingly more mammals, this virus will evolve” and then develop “the ability to pass from human to human,” according to the WHO.
The World Health Organization (WHO) expressed its deep concern on Thursday regarding the spread of the H5N1 avian flu virus to other species, including human beings.
Jeremy Farrar, the chief scientific officer of the United Nations health agency, said during a press conference in Geneva: “This remains, I think, a big concern.”
The alarm arises mainly because the H5N1 virus, which has “an extraordinarily high mortality rate” in people infected by direct contact with animals, could be evolving to allow its transmission between humans.
From the beginning of 2023 to April 1, 2024, 889 human cases of avian flu have been recorded in 23 countries, with a devastating toll of 463 deaths, lor which is equivalent to a mortality rate of 52%.
To date, no human-to-human transmission of the H5N1 virus has been confirmed. However, the A (H5N1) strain is already considered a “global animal zoonotic pandemic,” according to the WHO scientist.
Concern about Avian Flu
Farrar stressed that “the big concern” is that the virus, by infecting ducks, chickens and a growing number of mammals, could eventually acquire “the ability to pass from human to human.”
A particularly alarming case was reported in early April, when a person in Texas, United States, was detected infected with avian flu after contact with a dairy cow.
Farrar emphasized that when the virus reaches the mammal population, “so it is getting closer to humans,” which is “really worrying.”
The scientific director urged to strengthen surveillance and registration systems, underlining the importance of identifying how many infections occur in humans, since it is at this point where an adaptation of the virus could occur to facilitate transmission between people.
