Wider bird flu spread raises concern for humans, animal health body says

PARIS: The spread of bird flu to an increasing number of species and its widening geographic reach have raised the risks of humans being infected by the virus, the head of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) said on Thursday.

Monique Eloit’s comments come after the US government reported cases of the disease in dairy cows in several states and a person in Texas, which she said would only be a strong concern if there had been a transmission between cows, something the US authorities are still investigating.

Avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, has led to the culling of hundreds of millions of poultry around the globe in the past years, with the virus mostly carried by migrating wild birds.

Although the number of outbreaks has been lower this season the virus has spread to new regions, including South America and Antarctica, and hit a larger number of animals, decimating colonies of rare species.

Foxes were the mammal species most affected by bird flu but the virus also infected dozens of other species including cats, tigers, seals, dolphins and bears.

“Over the last few months, we have had a whole series of diverse and varied mammals. It is worrying to see this extension to other species,” the head of the Paris-based organisation told Reuters in an interview.