Switzerland

Don’t assume bird flu risk to humans will remain low, WHO warns

cde.news desk 10 February 2023, 11:00 · 2 min read

epaselect epa10458395 A man wearing a face mask sells toy ducks on the street in Beijing, China, 10 February 2023. According to the report on 10 February by the National Bureau of Statistics, China's Consumer Price Index (CPI), which is a main gauge of inflation, rose to 2.1 percent in January 2023 from 1.8 percent in previous month, compared with market forecasts of 2.2 percent. This was the highest reading in three months, as prices of food rised and those of non-food gained further following the Lunar New Year and the lift of COVID-19 measures. EPA-EFE/WU HAO

The risk of bird flu spreading in humans is low at the moment – but it doesn’t mean it will necessarily stay that way, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned.

The recent spread to mammals of H5N1 influenza – commonly known as bird flu – needs to be monitored, but the risk to humans remains low, the WHO warned.

H5N1 has spread among poultry and wild birds for 25 years, Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters in a virtual briefing, but the recent reports of infections in mink, otters and sealions “need to be monitored closely”.

He said the risk to humans remained low, noting that human cases have been rare since the flu strain emerged in 1996.

“But we cannot assume that will remain the case and we must prepare for any change in the status quo,” Tedros said.

He said people were advised not to touch dead or sick wild animals and to instead report them to local and national authorities, who were monitoring the situation.

The WHO also recommended strengthening surveillance in settings where humans and animals interact, he said.

“WHO is also continuing to engage with manufacturers to make sure that, if needed, supplies of vaccines and antivirals would be available for global use,” he said.