The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) warned on Wednesday of a bird flu pandemic if the virus becomes transmissible between humans, as they have no immunity to the virus, Reuters reports.
This warning comes a day after the US state of Texas announced that the H5N1 strain of bird flu, commonly known as bird flu, had been detected in a person who had contact with dairy cows that may have been infected. with the virus.
The spread of bird flu is a concern for governments and the poultry industry because of the enormous damage it can cause and the risk of human transmission.
The number of bird flu outbreaks has been lower so far this season, but it has spread geographically, including to Antarctica and to a growing number of mammals, raising the risk that the virus could evolve into a growing threat to humans.
To date, sustained human-to-human transmission has not been observed, and transmission of avian influenza from infected animals to humans is rare.
However, these viruses continue to evolve globally and, with the migration of wild birds, new strains carrying potential mutations for adaptation to mammals could be selected, EFSA explained.
“If avian influenza A(H5N1) viruses acquire the ability to spread efficiently among humans, widespread transmission could occur due to the lack of immune defenses against H5 viruses in humans,” EFSA said in a report cited by Agerpres.
About 887 cases of human infection with H5N1 bird flu were reported globally between January 2003 and February 26 this year, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in its latest report. Of these, 462 were fatal, representing a rate of 52%.
Most human cases have been detected in people with unprotected exposure to sick or dead poultry, live bird markets or a contaminated environment.
Wild mammals could act as bridge hosts between wild birds, domestic animals and humans, EFSA said. Pets, such as cats that live in households and have access to the outdoors, could also be a potential vehicle of transmission, the source added.
Publisher: AP
