Avian influenza may become the cause of the next large-scale pandemic

The European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) has warned of the risk of a large-scale bird flu pandemic as humans have no immunity against the virus.

EFSA published the corresponding report on April 3.

The agency noted that avian influenza viruses remain prevalent in wild bird populations in the European Union and the European Economic Area, resulting in significant bird morbidity and mortality.

Transmission of the virus from birds to mammals has been observed, especially on fur farms, where outbreaks of the disease have been recorded. Although transmission from infected birds to humans is rare, contact with these viruses without any symptomatic infections has been reported in the EU/EEA since 2020.

However, these viruses continue to evolve on a global scale, and with the migration of wild birds, new strains may emerge that carry potential mutations for mammalian adaptation.

"If avian influenza A(H5N1) viruses acquire the ability to spread efficiently among humans, large-scale transmission of infection may occur due to the lack of immune protection against H5 viruses in humans," the agency emphasized.

EFSAʼs announcement comes shortly after a case of bird flu in Texas was discovered in a person who had contact with dairy cows likely infected with the virus.

• According to the World Health Organization, between January 2003 and February 26, 2024, about 887 cases of human infection with H5N1 bird flu were reported worldwide. Of them, 462 were fatal, which is 52%.
• In the summer of 2022, an "unprecedented" number of bird flu cases were recorded in Europe. About 47 million birds had to be killed because of this.