WHO expert expresses concern over avian flu outbreak

Jeremy Farrar, M.D., chief scientist for the World Health Organization, emphasized the severity of the global spread of the bird flu, pointing to the virus’s “extremely high” mortality rate in humans.

“[The bird flu] has spread effectively over the course of the last one or two years to become a global zoonotic — animal pandemic,” he said. “The great concern, of course, is that in doing so and infecting ducks and chickens — but now increasingly mammals — that the virus now evolves and develops the ability to infect humans. And then critically, the ability to go from human-to-human transmission.”

No human-to-human transmission has been recorded, but Dr. Farrar urged further monitoring and investigation “because it may evolve into transmitting in different ways.” 

Full story: UN

 

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