Is the world preparing for the next pandemic? If not the world, UK sure is preparing for that. The UK has ordered 5 million vaccines against bird flu, also dubbed as "one mutation from being the next COVID". The comparison of bird flu with COVID, comes from the mutation that has recently been seen in the avian flu, which has affected animals and humans alike. Similar to how the corona virus previously also mutated, and continues to do so.
The stocking of vaccine has been done maid the growing concerns that the H5N1 strain of avian influenza could actually trigger the next global health crisis. This has become a cause of concerns after California became the latest to declare an emergency over infected cattle herds, and Louisiana reported its first "severe" human case of bird flu.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) rates bird flu threat at level 4, which means sustained outbreaks in mammals and increasing human cases from animal contact. In terms of numbers, since 2003, there have been 939 human cases of bird flu globally, with 464 deaths recorded. All of them were directly caught from birds or animals. Human to human contact for bird flu is still yet to be studied.
A threat to public health
As per
Dr Deborah Birx, the White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator: "We kind of have our head in the sand about how widespread this is from the zoonotic standpoint, from the animal-to-human standpoint."
The mutation also makes it a big enough reason for UK to stand prepared. In fact, a spokesperson of the US Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that existing comments about the avian flu testing are out of date, misleading, and inaccurate, indicating new tests, and studies to be done.
CDC also confirmed the first severe case of bird flu in humans in the US, which showed the signs of mutation. The sample was taken from a patient in Louisiana, which showed mutations in the gene which is responsible for attaching to host's cells. This is a concern, as it raises the questions of whether the H5N1 virus can actually swap gene segment with other flu?
What are the symptoms one must look out for?
- Pink eye
- fever
- fatigue
- cough
- muscle aches
- sore throat
- nausea
- vomiting
- diarrhea
- study or runny nose
- shortness of breath
Birds flu in humans
The first case of the recent bird flu outbreak in the US came in September, from a Missouri resident. However, the person did not have any exposure to infected animals. This is what is also raising the concern for mutation and the possibility of other forms of spreading. This was also a rare case as the infection did not happen due to exposure. Previously, all such cases in the US involved contact with farm animals or contaminated environment.
Can bird flu come from other animals?
Bird flu primarily infected farmworkers or those in close proximity to livestock. The
first human bird flu case in the US was reported in 2022, to a person who was also involved in farm-working.
While this flu is largely confined to birds in the wild and poultry, recent outbreaks have been reported in mammals too, including cattle.
While 14 cases are in the US, the CDC notes that the risk to the general public is still at low, however, this warning could change. "Although human infections are rare, circumstances may evolve as we learn more about this case," said the CDC in a statement.