Home » Bird flu dangerous for humans? The 5 most important questions and answers

Bird flu dangerous for humans? The 5 most important questions and answers

by admin
Bird flu dangerous for humans?  The 5 most important questions and answers

Researchers are alarmed. The worst ever documented wave of bird flu is currently rampant. Mammals are also repeatedly affected – seals in large numbers. In Germany, the highly contagious bird flu virus H5N1 has been detected for the first time in foxes, as reported by the Lower Saxony Ministry of Agriculture.

The Friedrich Loeffler Institute, as the national reference laboratory, has confirmed the infections of a total of four animals. The recently increased H5N1 evidence in mammals would have to be closely monitored. The ministry therefore called on counties with an increased number of infected wild birds to send in more mammals found dead or killed and to have them checked.

Cases among mammals are increasing worldwide. There has been a mass death among seals in the United States as a result of the bird flu that is currently circulating. Hundreds of harbor seals and gray seals have died from H5N1 in New England in the north-east of the USA, reports a research team from Tufts University in Medford (USA) in the journal ”
Emerging Infectious Diseases
“.

1. Can avian flu be transmitted to humans?

The so-called avian influenza is known as bird flu or avian influenza and is a highly contagious animal disease. The virus behind it is called H5N1. In theory, the viruses can be transmitted to humans, but the transmission is “not very effective,” writes Das
Robert Koch Institute
on his website. “That means they are not very infectious for humans.” There is no increased risk for the general population. However, people who come into close contact with infected poultry are at risk. According to the RKI, it is in
Germany so far not a single bird flu case in a human
occurred.

See also  Coronavirus, outdoor masks yes or no? The opinion of the experts

2. How does infection occur?

Potential infection occurs through intensive contact with infected or dead poultry. “People probably have to ingest very large amounts of virus in order to become infected,” says the RKI. Accordingly, employees in the poultry industry and veterinarians in the companies are particularly at risk.

3. Is bird flu dangerous for humans?

No risk is seen for the general public.
In the extremely rare case of infection, it can lead to a
mild to severe illness
come. According to the RKI, symptoms usually appear two to five, possibly up to 14 days after infection, including severe flu-like symptoms such as high fever, coughing, shortness of breath and sore throat.

In more than half of the cases, there is also diarrhea, less often abdominal pain and vomiting. As the disease progresses, pneumonia usually develops, which in the worst case can lead to lung failure and death.

4. Is bird flu dangerous for dogs and cats?

Bird flu poses only a small risk to dogs and cats. Elke Reinking, biologist at the Friedrich-Löffler-Institut, research center for animal diseases, clarifies in an interview with ”
SWR current
‘ to: ‘Cats can become infected if they come into really close contact with infected birds or when they eat birds.’ It could be particularly dangerous for waterfowl, which are currently particularly affected. There is less risk of dead songbirds or pigeons.

It is much more difficult for dogs to become infected. “There are no cases worldwide, at least not with the bird flu virus H5N1, which is currently rampant,” explains the expert. “And for cats there have only been two cases worldwide so far, one from France and one from the USA.”

See also  Circumnavigate the Kiel Fjord on the Stadtgarten hiking trail | > - Guide - Travel

5. Which mammals does bird flu affect?

The current wave of bird flu is spreading across several continents. Tens of millions of animals have already died, particularly seabirds. It is known that the circulating H5N1 lineage 2.3.4.4b also infects and kills mammals such as mink, foxes, raccoons, martens and bears. Most of the time, these are individual proofs.

In Peru, however, according to Tufts University, around 3,500 sea lions recently died from the virus, and Canada reported a seal death at the St. Lawrence estuary. There have also been reports from Russia of a similar event in seals in the Caspian Sea.

That is why bird flu is hitting more and more mammals

Experts are concerned that the virus could adapt better to mammals and thus to humans. So far, only one death in China has been proven to be attributed to the currently circulating group of avian flu viruses. The Friedrich Loeffler Institute (FLI) recently reported that the woman who died in October had the H5N1 virus of group 2.3.4.4b. She was 38 years old and had contact with infected poultry. She developed severe pneumonia and died in hospital.

Experts were concerned about an outbreak of bird flu on a Spanish mink farm in October 2022. There were indications in the animals that the pathogen had adapted genetically better to mammals, it said. It is not yet clear whether there was transmission from animal to animal in the farm or another route of infection, for example via food. Mammal-to-mammal transmission would pose a higher risk to humans.

You may also like

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept Read More

Privacy & Cookies Policy