Health experts have issued a pandemic warning as a new virus spreads to all 50 states in the US.
The H5N1 outbreak of bird flu has impacted almost 1000 cow herds and caused more than 70 human cases – including one death.
Since 2022, over 168 million poultry in the US have been lost or culled due to bird flu – causing the price of eggs to shoot up.
Human to human transmission has yet to be observed but health experts have warned that mutations could raise the risk of it happening.
The Global Virus Network (GVN) is begging world governments to confront the threat by upping surveillance and putting in stricter biosecurity protocols.
GVN also urges that countries prepare for the potential human to human spread to avoid a mass panic, like the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
Director at the GVN Dr Peter Palese said: ‘Initiatives should focus on enhancing biosecurity measures in agricultural settings and educating the public about safe handling of poultry products and potential risks associated with contact with infected animals.’
Fellow director Dr Ab Osterhaus said: ‘Given the growing circulation of H5N1 among mammals, the GVN calls for urgent efforts to understand and interrupt transmission in cattle through herd management and potential vaccination.
‘Strengthening surveillance at animal-human interfaces is crucial, as current monitoring efforts are insufficient to guide effective prevention strategies.’
Cases of the virus have also been recorded in other animals, such as pigs, foxes, skunks and seals- believed to be caused by eating the carcasses of the birds, infected.
The US currently has around 20 million bird flu vaccines in its stockpile with the ability to quickly make 100 million more if needed.
