With four human cases of bird flu recorded in the United States in recent months, the World Health Organization is calling on all countries to step up surveillance.
- According to the WHO, four people have contracted bird flu following exposure to infected dairy cows in the United States. In Cambodia, two cases have been reported in children who came into contact with sick or dead chickens.
- “There have been no reports of human-to-human transmission so far, so we continue to assess the risk to the general public as low,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.
- However, the health authority is calling for increased surveillance in the fight against bird flu.
1996. This is the year that avian influenza A (H5N1) first appeared. In 2020, clade 2.3.4.4b of the virus was detected and caused an exponential increase in the number of outbreaks in birds, as well as an increase in the number of infected mammals. The strain has caused the deaths of tens of millions of poultry, with wild birds and terrestrial and marine mammals also being infected. Since the virus emerged, human cases in Europe and the United States have been mostly mild.
Bird flu: 4 cases in the United States and 2 cases in Cambodia
In recent months, the H5N1 virus has spread among dairy herds in the United States. According to Maria Van Kerkhoveresponsible for epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention at the World Health Organization (WHO), the H5N1 virus had been detected in 145 herds in 12 US states. “I think that’s going to continue, given that we’ve seen some expansion of the spread, that we have some limited samples in dairy cattle, not just in the United States, but around the world. We really need to understand the extent of the circulation in dairy cattle,” she added.
The virus has also been identified in humans. A total of four American adults have contracted bird flu so far in the United States. In detail, according to the WHO, the United States reported a fourth human case of H5N1 bird flu last week following exposure to infected dairy cows. In Cambodia, two cases have been reported in children who had contact with sick or dead chickens.
“So far, no human-to-human transmission has been reported.”
“There have been no reports of human-to-human transmission at this time, so we continue to assess the risk to the general public as low. However, our ability to assess and manage this risk is compromised by limited surveillance of influenza viruses in animals globally. Understanding how these viruses spread and evolve in animals is essential to identifying any changes that could increase the risk of outbreaks in humans or the potential for a pandemic,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.
The health authority therefore calls on all countries to strengthen surveillance and reporting of influenza in animals and humans, and to share samples and genetic sequences. It also recommends greater protection for agricultural workers who may be exposed to infected animals and an intensification of research on avian influenza.
