The current wave of H5N1 avian influenza in multiple countries began in 2021 and has spread to the most remote parts of the world, including the Antarctic and Arctic. Thousands of mammals have died from the virus, including seals, sea lions, walruses and polar bears, mainly through contact with infected birds.
The current H5N1 avian influenza outbreak in the United States has forced the country to cull nearly 100 million chickens and turkeys and has affected the dairy industry. As of last week, dairy cows in 10 states were infected, and cows in five states died or were destroyed due to the disease. On April 1 and May 22, Texas and Michigan reported cases of dairy farm workers infected with H5N1.
In addition, other strains of avian influenza are also spreading in different countries. The WHO confirmed on the 11th that a human case of H9N2 avian influenza was found in West Bengal, eastern India. The patient was a 4-year-old child who had contact with poultry. After three months of treatment, he has recovered and been discharged from the hospital. This is the second case of human infection with H9N2 avian influenza reported by India, the first case occurred in 2019. Last week, the world’s first human death from H5N2 avian influenza virus occurred. The deceased was a 59-year-old patient in Mexico.
Last week, several chicken farms in Victoria, Australia, tested positive for the highly pathogenic H7N3 strain of avian influenza, resulting in the culling of more than 500,000 chickens and the destruction of 450,000 eggs every day. Due to concerns about a shortage of eggs due to avian influenza, Australia’s major supermarket Coles has limited egg purchases since this week, with customers only able to buy two boxes a day. The WHO said that the risk of avian influenza virus affecting the general population is currently low.
source: china