A bird flu named H5N1 has begun to pose some threats to mammals' lives, including humans. To date, 46 human cases have been reported in the U.S. Although the virus is usually mild, it carries some identified risks for animals as well as humans.
H5N1 bird flu, also called Avian Influenza, is a virus infection that spreads among birds and could also spread among humans and other mammals. Similar to the varieties of flu that people get, the bird flu virus can have serious complications and is much more likely to be fatal. It should be mentioned that it hardly spreads from human to human. However, on November 7, a research published in a scientific journal called Nature showed that the newly mutated H5N1 bird flu has acquired the capability for easy spread amongst mammals, including humans.
This new study further underlines the fact that this virus has real potential for causing serious illness in humans, thus underlining the urgent need for protection measures, especially for people who come into direct contact with diseased animals. It becomes necessary that agricultural workers and veterinary staff, among others of the allied professions, follow safety principles strictly in order to avoid infection. Moreover, the public health authorities and the agricultural industry should act in close liaison in order to restrain the spread and surveil the incidence of this virus. This would also be important for a rapid response to emerging risks in order to prevent further spread and thus protect human health and animal welfare. This H5N1 avian influenza virus has shown potential to cause transmission between contacting ferrets to a rate of 100%.
However, unlike seasonal flu, it is less effectively transmitted by respiratory droplets or contaminated surfaces, with an indirect transmission rate of only 66%. This is in contrast to seasonal influenza, which is readily transmitted between ferrets by both aerosols and fomites, approaching complete transmission by these routes. This would indicate that H5N1 lacks at present some of the airborne and surface transmission efficiencies of common flu strains. These results of the ferret experiment played an important role in forming the early risk assessments by the CDC about the possible
risks these viruses posed to humans.
Using ferrets, whose respiratory and immunological systems are much more similar to those of humans than other models, scientists were able to study how the virus acts within a model that closely resembles human physiology. This made it possible for researchers to gain insights into how transmissible and pathogenic the virus could be in those cases when it jumped to human populations. These observations formed the basis for CDC's various evaluations and preparedness strategies, hence early contributions to decision-making on necessary precautions and public health recommendations with a view to mitigating possible human infection risks.
CDC also reported the number of people, mainly dairy workers, infected by the mutated bird flu on November 7. “‘To date, there have been 46 human cases of H5 in the US, in 2024 25 cases were due to the ongoing outbreak in dairy cows. 20, which of which are 21, of which are in California. 20 cases are due to poultry depopulation, including the 11 recent cases from Washington State. There is also one case in Missouri with no known exposure to animals or any animal product,” CDC reported. The general risk, according to them, is low, and protection measures are being taken for people in contact with animals and dairy products.
Apart from the U.S., there are several other countries whose population is being affected by flu. First case of human bird flu was detected in Canada on November 9. A teenager was tested presumptive positive for the H5 influenza virus and is receiving treatment in B.C. Children's Hospital.
The virus still does little to mild impact on human beings, but it does a huge amount of harm among animals. A year since an outbreak of H5N1, the avian flu swept through elephant seal colonies in Argentina's Península Valdés and decimated their numbers and their usually rambunctious breeding grounds are considerably quieter. The outbreak killed more than 17,000 seals and took nearly 97% of that season's pups; the population is still heavily affected. This year, only about a third of the typical number have returned, making clear that the fragile colony remains in dire straits with its nebulous road to recovery.
In the U.S., H5N1 avian flu continues to affect the livestock increasingly, most particularly dairy cattle, in several states. The U.S. has since increased its biosecurity and testing efforts in hopes of containing the virus's spread. New protocols allow for testing animals before shipping them across state lines and sampling milk throughout the affected areas in an attempt to contain outbreaks and protect herds. This includes proactive containment, monitoring, and possible vaccination strategies with the intention of trying to limit any future risks from H5N1.
The bird flu began to spread in March 2023, but it started to visibly affect our lives and threaten our health very recently. The harm due to the virus may be much worse than it is today. To prevent serious outbreaks in both humans and animals, measures should be taken across countries.