The escalating instances of bird flu outbreaks among mammals have become a source of deep concern for international organizations like the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Health Organization (WHO), and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). The biological proximity between mammals and humans has raised fears that the avian flu virus could potentially adapt and infect humans more easily.
Understanding Bird Flu
Bird flu, also known as Avian Influenza, is a disease caused by infection with Avian Influenza Type A viruses. It infrequently spreads from birds to mammals, a phenomena termed ‘spillover’, and on rare occasions, can spread amongst mammals.
Outbreaks in Wild Birds and Poultry
H5N1, a member of the goose/Guangdong-lineage of H5N1 avian influenza viruses, is the most common type of bird flu. This virus first emerged in 1996/1997 and has since caused a large number of deaths in wild birds and poultry across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas from 2020. According to WOAH, in 2022, 67 countries across five continents reported H5N1 high pathogenicity avian influenza outbreaks in poultry and wild birds, resulting in the loss of over 131 million domestic poultry. By 2023, an additional 14 countries had reported outbreaks.
Outbreaks in Mammals and Their Potential Danger to Humans
From 2022, about ten countries reported instances of avian influenza outbreaks in both land and sea mammals, including farmed mink in Spain, seals in the United States, and sea lions in Peru and Chile. Twenty-six species have been documented to carry this disease, with the latest H5N1 detection in cats in Poland. The fear is that these mammals could end up becoming vessels for influenza viruses and lead to the development of new, more harmful viruses that affect animals and humans alike. The WHO has received reports of only a few mild human cases from those in close contact with infected birds.
The Indian Scenario
The World Organization for Animal Health declared India free from Avian Influenza (H5N1) in September 2019. However, by December 2020 and early 2021, outbreaks of avian influenza H5N1 and H5N8 were reported in poultry in 15 Indian states.
Urgent Measures to Curb the Spread
To curb the risks posed by bird flu outbreaks, international agencies like FAO, WHO, and WOAH have provided several recommendations. These include sharing genetic data of viruses from humans and animals in publicly accessible databases, enhancing biosecurity measures, and promoting good hygiene practices in farms and poultry value chains. They also emphasize rapid detection, reporting, and response to animal outbreaks, strengthening surveillance in animals and humans alike, conducting thorough epidemiological and virological investigations around animal outbreaks and human infections, and promoting collaboration between animal and human health sectors.
Influenza Virus Types
For the UPSC Civil Services Examination, previous year question (PYQ) often includes references to different types of influenza viruses. One such question in 2015 was ‘H1N1 virus is sometimes mentioned in the news with reference to which one of the following diseases?’, with the answer being ‘Swine flu’.
Last Modified: February 22, 2024