“The increasing number of cases of H5N1 avian influenza detected in mammals raises fears that the virus is adapting to infect humans more easily,” worries the WHO.
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The World Health Organization on Wednesday (July 12th) expressed concern that the increase in cases of bird flu in mammals could help the virus to spread. “easier” to the human species. “Bird flu viruses normally spread among birds, but the increasing number of cases of H5N1 avian flu being detected in mammals – which are biologically closer to humans than birds – raises concerns that the virus may be adapting to more easily infect humans”the WHO said in a statement.
“There has been a recent paradigm shift in the ecology and epidemiology of avian influenza, which has heightened concerns globally.”, deciphers Dr. Gregorio Torres, head of the scientific department of OMSA, in the press release. In the warning – also signed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Organization for Animal Health – the organizations call on countries to work together “in order to save as many animals as possible and to protect populations”.