Avian flu is spreading fast – and in the current wave is apparently also better adapted to mammals. There has been a mass extinction of seals from H5N1 in the US. Minks, foxes, raccoons, martens and bears have also been infected and killed – experts fear development line 2.3.4.4b could also endanger humans.
The worst wave of bird flu ever documented is currently sweeping birds – several parts of the world have been affected. Millions of animals died, especially seabirds. H5N1 is known to be nearly 100 percent lethal in waterfowl.
However, there are also increasing reports of mammals dying from the pathogen. Hundreds of harbor seals and gray seals died of H5N1 in New England in the northeastern United States, a research team from Tufts University in Medford, USA, reported in the journal “Emerging Infectious Diseases”. In Russia, there is said to have been a similar event in the Caspian Sea. Canada reported a seal hunt in the St. Lawrence Estuary.
The American scientist Wendy Puryear, who studied the dead seals in New England, explained that a seal can become infected if it comes into contact with feces from a sick bird or with contaminated water. Even if an infected bird is eaten, the virus can be transmitted. According to a study by Puryear, all of the seals that tested positive for the virus were already dead or died shortly after sampling.
Little known human deaths
It is unclear whether the virus is also transmitted between seals – there is no definitive evidence for this yet. “It wouldn’t be surprising if transmission between seals could occur, as it has already happened with low pathogenic bird flu,” Puryear said. Only a few human deaths from bird flu are currently known: a 38-year-old Chinese woman who contracted infected domestic poultry contracted severe pneumonia and died in hospital. An 11-year-old girl diagnosed with the virus has died in Cambodia.
When bird flu broke out on a Spanish mink farm in October 2022, experts were already concerned that the pathogen had adapted better genetically. If mammal-to-mammal transmission were possible, this would also pose a higher risk to humans.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
