Health
Bird flu infects more mammals. what does that mean for us?
February 16, 2023 – A highly contagious strain of bird flu known as H5N1 has swept the globe, devastating backyard flocks and commercial farms. The virus primarily infects birds, but increasing reports of mammals infected with the virus have worried some experts. The main concern, they say, is that as H5N1 continues to spread and multiply in different species, the virus may mutate and become more susceptible to infecting humans.
“The number game alone increases the possibility of infecting people, [other] said Dr. Richard Webby, director of the World Health Organization Collaborative Research Center on the Ecology of Animal and Avian Influenza at St. Jude Children’s Hospital. Memphis.
Beginning May 2022, the U.S. Department of Agriculture will: 121 Mammals Red foxes, skunks, bears and even seals are infected with the H5N1 virus. In October 2022, an outbreak at a mink farm in Spain led to Over 51,000 animalsand earlier this month, Peru Confirmed 585 sea lions have died from the virus in coastal nature reserves. H5N1 infections have been detected in mammals for the past 25 years, but “there has been a definite increase in reported cases in the last 12 months,” he says.
The World Health Organization has said the risk to humans remains low, but “however, it cannot be expected to continue and we must prepare for a changing situation,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. says Dr. a news briefing this month.
Human infections remain rare
Human H5N1 infections are rare. Most often, it occurs when someone is unprotected and directly exposed to her H5N1-infected bird or virus-contaminated surface. Since 1997, approx. 870 people About half of the cases reported to WHO have died from the infection. Even if someone catches the virus, it is even rarer to spread the infection to another person.
“The H5N1 virus, which is currently circulating in wild birds and causing outbreaks in poultry, is well adapted to spread among birds,” said Tim, chief medical officer in the Director’s Office of the CDC’s Influenza Division. Dr. Uyeki said. Online Q&A. “However, these H5N1 avian influenza viruses do not have the ability to readily bind to human upper respiratory tract receptors or to transmit between humans.”
Despite record numbers of infected wild and poultry birds, human infections rare in recent yearsSince the beginning of this century, it has not been uncommon for at least 30 to 40 H5N1 cases to be documented annually. Since 2021, there have been fewer than 10 reported cases worldwide, according to the WHO. CDC.
Further extension to mammals
H5N1 infections in wild mammals are not unheard of, but they are rare occurrences. Most of these cases can occur when animals are exposed to the virus by eating infected birds. As in humans, these infections are sporadic. but, Last month’s report An outbreak at a mink farm in Spain worried experts. Minks are related to ferrets, which scientists use as animal models to study the transmission of influenza.
“When you see something that’s contagious in mink, it’s not easy to think, ‘That could be contagious in ferrets,'” says Webby. “We will use the ferret infection as a wake-up call to human risk.”
But so far there’s no evidence that the virus has acquired the ability to infect humans more easily, said William Schaffner, M.D., professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville.
“One of the really encouraging things is that on a mink farm in Spain, all the people who worked on the farm and had very close contact with mink have been tested and found to be negative,” he said. he says. The mink was also very tightly confined in the cage. He notes that this may have helped the virus spread.
Recent reports of sea lion infections have led some online to speculate about the possible spread of the virus among sea lions, but these marine mammals may also have been exposed to H5N1-infected birds.
What is clear is that the virus has spread far and wide and is appearing in more and more animals, said DrPH Jennifer Nuzzo, who heads the Pandemic Center at Brown University’s School of Public Health in Providence, Rhode Island. says. It’s not very clear why that’s happening.
“Does that mean [H5N1] Acquired Mammal Adaptability? What does that mean for the likelihood of infecting humans? We just don’t know,” she says.
Will bird flu become the next pandemic?
Unfortunately, it is impossible to predict the type of virus that will cause the next pandemic. But the WHO’s Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System is already working hard to monitor influenza strains around the world, Schaffner said.
“It’s like a radar system trying to detect an enemy as quickly as possible,” he says. The network tracks infections not only in humans, but also in birds and other animals.
Should bird flu begin to pose a real threat to the public, the United States already has a stockpile of bird flu vaccine.
“If necessary, we can update to the latest strains and start production right away,” says Schaffner.
Experts agree that the public’s risk to H5N1 is low, but people should avoid contact with sick or dead wild birds, poultry, and wildlife. Do not eat raw or undercooked chicken, eggs, and other poultry products. It is safe to consume cooked poultry, poultry products, and eggs. For additional protection measures, CDC website.
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