The US is sounding the alarm about a growing threat from bird flu, which is spreading rapidly among cows and infecting people in the country. While there’s no guarantee of human transmission, health experts warn that the risk remains low.
Since 2021, over 300 million poultry birds have been killed or culled due to bird flu, and more than 315 species of wild birds across 79 countries have died. The virus has also spread among dairy cows in the US for the first time.
In the US, 58 people have tested positive for bird flu this year, including two with no known exposure to infected animals. Researchers suggest that an infection rate of seven percent may be more widespread due to undetected cases.
Experts say that a bird flu pandemic would be one of the most significant catastrophes in history. A recent study found that the current strain of H5N1 is just a single mutation away from being able to spread more effectively among humans.
Virologists warn that as animals and different species are infected, the virus becomes more likely to adapt to better infect people. The US government has announced plans to test its milk supply for bird flu, with a focus on raw milk due to repeated contamination cases.
Source: https://www.sciencealert.com/experts-warn-of-bird-flu-pandemic-as-signals-of-mutation-mount