Bird Flu Pandemic Threat: 300 Million Poultry Birds Killed, Virus Spreading Among Cows and Infected People
Over 300 million poultry birds have been killed or culled since October 2021 due to the deadly bird flu variant H5N1, which has spread more widely than ever before, reaching previously untouched regions such as penguin-haven Antarctica. The virus has also spread among dairy cows across the United States, marking a new phase in its spread. Fifty-eight people have tested positive for bird flu in the US this year, including two who had no known exposure to infected animals.
Health experts have sounded the alarm about the potential pandemic threat posed by bird flu, which has been showing signs of mutating as it spreads among cows and infects people. Researchers have found that eight out of 115 dairy workers tested in Michigan and Colorado had antibodies for bird flu, suggesting an infection rate of seven percent.
Experts warn that some human cases may be going undetected, and that if a bird flu pandemic breaks out, it would be “remarkably severe” in humans because we have no built-up immunity. Antiviral treatments and vaccines are already available for bird flu, but experts are calling on the US government to ramp up testing and ensure information is shared between agencies and countries to avoid the worst-case scenario.
The virus has the potential to spread easily among humans, and researchers have found that the version of bird flu infecting US cows is now just a single mutation away from being able to spread more effectively among humans. Virologist Ed Hutchinson said that H5N1 is just “a simple step” away from becoming “more dangerous for us.”
Experts are also concerned about the potential for bird flu to spread through contaminated raw milk, which has repeatedly been found to be contaminated with the virus. Any suggestion of lifting restrictions on raw milk is considered a “terrible idea” and “definitely jeopardises the health of humans.”