WHO reports 76 cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza in humans this year

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on the 18th (local time) that a total of 76 cases of human infection with highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) have been reported this year.
WHO Chief Technical Officer Maria Van Kerkhove disclosed these data at an online briefing on the same day, saying, "61 of the 76 cases are in the United States.
"The H5N1 virus is transmitted by wild birds, but this year in Texas, dairy cows in the US were infected with the virus after coming into contact with wild birds.
In 2013, cases of human infection were found. Human infections, where dairy workers are infected by livestock infected with avian influenza, are spreading in the United States. As of October last year, more than 400 dairy farms had been infected with avian influenza.
Farms have been confirmed to be infected with H5N1, and there have been cases of pigs, but not dairy cows, being infected with H5N1 on a small farm in western Oregon.
It has been discovered that bird flu has been spreading across species barriers.
"Since October 2021, more than 300 million birds have died from influenza worldwide," said Dr. Gregorio Torres of the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at the University of California, San Diego. "The spread of the infection has affected domestic mammals, causing serious problems for both animals and humans."
"The virus has posed significant challenges to the general public, both in terms of time and the environment," he said. However, the WHO has downgraded the risk level of H5N1 to the general public because there have been no cases of human-to-human transmission.
But they still recommend that farm workers wear protective gear to work, and that consumers drink pasteurized milk and eat cooked meat and eggs.
In addition, WHO is mindful of the possibility of human infection and will continue to share epidemiological survey data with member states while conducting thorough disease surveillance activities.