It is likely that recently we have believed that COVID-19 is the only health threat humanity must face. Apparently, we were wrong.
In 2020, scientists discovered an outbreak of H5N8, a highly pathogenic subtype of avian influenza virus, in bird populations in several countries.
Now, in an article published in Science, researchers express concern because they suspect that the bird flu outbreak may be present in 46 countries and may have jumped to humans.
The paper also states that seven poultry farm workers in Russia became ill while attempting to contain an outbreak.
“The affected geographical regions have continuously expanded, with at least 46 countries reporting outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N8 AIV,” the scientists note.
The animals most vulnerable to H5N8 are different types of birds, such as chickens, farm ducks, as well as wild and migratory birds. Human cases of the virus have also been detected recently.
“To date, there have been a total of 862 laboratory-confirmed human cases of H5N1 infection reported to the World Health Organization (WHO), including 455 deaths,” the report states.
“These cases were from 17 countries, with 76 percent from Egypt and Indonesia. An H5N8 subtype has clearly shown a propensity for rapid global spread in migratory birds.”
The research also concludes that this virus evolves rapidly and constantly and would be capable of genetically reorganizing into other subtypes.
