The growing threat of a worldwide H5N1 bird flu pandemic has alarmed over 40 of the top virologists in the world.
According to the virologists, the deadly virus is changing and getting closer to spreading from person to person.
The Global Virus Network (GVN) stated in a research released on Thursday in the Lancet Regional Health – Americas that immediate action was required to prevent another global health disaster.
They defined H5N1 as a strain of avian influenza that has historically afflicted birds and has started infecting mammals including pigs and cattle in the last two years.
Experts have suggested that the development might be a sign of transmission to humans.
According to the report, the virus has a startling mortality rate, killing one in two infected individuals, despite the fact that there have only been a few human infections so far.
Additionally, experts have warned that the possibility of a worldwide pandemic should not be overlooked. Despite pledges to fortify defences following the COVID-19 pandemic, the report claimed that international health systems were unprepared.
“We are at a critical point. The virus is adapting to mammals. If it gains the ability to transmit efficiently between humans, we could face a pandemic far deadlier than COVID-19,” the scientists wrote.
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