New Delhi: The World Health Organisation (WHO) sounded a word of caution after the first case of bird flu was detected in a child in the United States.
WHO epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention director Maria Van Kerkhove told a press conference that a small but growing number of H5N1 avian influenza viral infections have been detected in humans around the world in recent years, hence countries around the world should step up surveillance for bird flu, reported AFP.
“What we really need globally, in the US and abroad, is much stronger surveillance in animals — in wild birds, in poultry, in animals that are known to be susceptible to infection, which includes swine, which include dairy cattle, to better understand the circulation in these animals,” Van Kerkhove said.
Having first emerged in 1996, the number of H5N1 outbreaks in birds has grown exponentially since 2020, along with a rise in number of infected mammals.
It has resulted in the deaths of millions of poultry. Wild birds and land and marine mammals have also been infected.
Human cases have largely been mild in Europe and the United States.
Last weekend, American authorities said a child in California had become the first in the country to test positive for bird flu infection. Checks and preventive treatment to exposed contacts at the child’s day-care centre were arranged by the authorities.
Thnakfully, the child had mild symptoms and is recovering at home following treatment with flu antivirals.
“Including this most recent case, 55 human cases of H5 bird flu have now been reported in the United States during 2024, with 29 in California,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said.
All but two of those had exposure to infected animals, Van Kerkhove said.
“We have not seen evidence of human-to-human infection. But again, for each of these human detected cases, we want to see a very thorough investigation taking place,” she remarked.
“We need much stronger efforts in terms of reducing the risk of infection between animals to new species and to humans through testing and proper protective equipment,” she added.
Van Kerkhove, who was the COVID-19 technical lead, stressed on the importance of preparing “for when or if we will be in a situation where we are in a flu pandemic.”
“We’re not in that situation yet, but we do need more vigilance.”
