Avian flu spread among other animals raises alarm worldwide
There are new concerns over the worldwide spread of another virus: the avian flu, with a significant uptick in cases among wild birds and farmed poultry for more than a year.
The virus is a very severe infection with a high mortality rate, but the saving grace for some time has been that it didn’t spread easily beyond birds. But while human cases are still rare, birds are no longer the only group getting sick with an outbreak reported on a mink farm in Spain. It was reported back in October, but in January genetic sequencing revealed the animals were infected with a new strain. That strain seems to allow avian flu to spread more easily mammal to mammal.
Heather Yourex-West reports on why the scientific community is watching closely and calling for an increase in surveillance of animal health worldwide.
