UN News - Avian flu reported in 108 countries across five continents, says UN health agency 12/17/24

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Avian influenza has caused the deaths of more than 300 million birds worldwide and the virus “is increasingly crossing species barriers”, according to UN health officers.​


In an update on the mutating virus - known as H5N1 – Dr. Madhur Dhingra from the Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO, said that it had “spilled over into wildlife”.

More than 500 bird species have been infected along with at least 70 mammalian species, including the endangered California condor and polar bears.

In regions that are heavily reliant on poultry as a primary source of protein, the FAO medic insisted that avian influenza “poses a serious threat to food and nutrition security”.
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Economic damage

Dr Dhingra warned that hundreds of millions of people’s livelihoods have been affected by the virus – an economic burden on farmers that could prevent them from investing in adequate biosafety measures.

Following the emergence of H5N1 influenza virus in dairy cattle, the WHO has joined calls for strengthened surveillance and biosecurity on farms, to keep animals and people safe.

The UN health agency said that in 2024, 76 people have been infected with the H5 avian influenza strain, and most were farm workers. More than 60 cases originated in the US, which has also reported outbreaks of H5 in wildlife and poultry and, more recently, in dairy cattle.

There have also been cases reported in Australia, Canada, China, Cambodia and Viet Nam.
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Low risk to humans – for now

Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, who currently serves as Director of Epidemic and Pandemic Threat Management for the WHO, said that based on the latest science, “we assess the risk of infection for the public – you and I – is currently low.”

But if you work on a farm, she cautioned – and are exposed to infected animals – “we assess the current public health risk to be low-to-moderate,” depending on the level of personal protection taken.

There is no evidence so far that the H5N1 viruses have adapted to spread between people and there has been no reported cases of human-to-human transmission.
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No room for complacency

“We must remember, however, that this can change quickly,” the UN pandemic expert added, “as the virus is evolving and we must be prepared for such a scenario.”

Every case that occurs in humans must therefore be investigated thoroughly.

Dr. Van Kerkhove also stressed the importance of drinking pasturised milk – and if that’s not available, of heating milk before consumption.

“We want to reiterate the critical importance of using a One Health approach across sectors – globally, nationally, and sub-nationally - to tackle avian influenza effectively, to minimize the risk in animals and humans,” she concluded.

https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/1...th agency said,more recently, in dairy cattle.
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17-12-2024
Press Conferences | FAO , UNHCR , WHO , WOAH
​ UN Geneva Press Briefing - 17 December 2024

​Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired a hybrid briefing, which was attended by the Head of the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism Investigating Serious Crimes in Syria, representatives and spokespersons of the United Nations Refugee Agency, the World Health Organization, the World Organization for Animal Health, the Food and Agriculture Organization, and the World Meteorological Organization​

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Global H5N1 avian influenza situation

Dr. Gregorio Torres, Head of the Science Department, World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH), speaking from France, said that since October 2021, this disease had caused the deaths of more than 300 million birds worldwide, affecting the livelihood of millions of people. While historically confined to avian species, the virus was increasingly crossing species barriers, impacting a different range of domestic and wild mammals and causing devastating impact in the ecosystem. These developments posed significant challenges to animal, human and environmental health. WOAH was closely monitoring the evolution of the disease and enhance global coordination for prevention and early response. WOAH regularly updated its science-based recommendations and called on its Member States to take immediate action to strengthen and scale up surveillance in domestic and wild birds; stop animal-to-animal transmission by enhancing biosecurity and early detection systems in poultry, cattle and other livestock in high-risk areas and take actions in case of positive results; and transparently report all avian influenza cases, including in animal hosts other than birds, through the World Animal Health Information System – WAHIS portal. Dr. Torres emphasized that, based on current knowledge, safe international trade in poultry was possible if the risk mitigation measures recommended by WOAH international standards were in place, which included trade from vaccinated animals. If different organizations, veterinary services and producers from different countries worked together, this global threat could be mitigated and the health of animals, people, and ecosystems worldwide could be safeguarded.

Dr. Madhur Dhingra, Senior Animal Health Officer for Infectious Diseases at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), speaking from India, said that, in addition to the direct impact on livelihoods, the economic burden on farmers could lead to reduced investments in biosecurity measures, which increased the risk and leads to a dangerous cycle of risk, vulnerability, and loss. In regions heavily reliant on poultry as a primary protein source, the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) posed a serious threat to food and nutrition security. When HPAI had been initially detected in Latin America, FAO had conducted a rapid risk assessment in March 2023, which had identified the valuable role of backyard poultry production, and the potential of HPAI to exacerbate food insecurity in over 35 percent of the countries assessed. To reduce the shocks, FAO had supported ten countries in Latin America for regional risk information sharing and emergency management.

The impacts of HPAI had spilled over into wildlife, more than 500 bird species and over 70 mammalian species affected, including endangered animals like the California condor and polar bears. The biodiversity impacts, particularly among seabirds and marine mammals, and disruption of fragile ecosystems, such as the Antarctic region, were concerning. With the recent emergence of H5N1 influenza virus in dairy cattle, FAO's Emergency Prevention System had produced a technical publication to summarize the emerging situation, knowledge gaps and recommended risk management actions. In response to requests for guidance from Member states, FAO had also recently published recommendations on surveillance in cattle and other farmed mammals for early detection. Dr. Dhingra informed that the FAO and the WOAH had recently launched the revised ten-year Global Control Strategy for HPAI, a key component of which was transformation of the poultry systems to become more resilient, safeguarding livelihoods, biodiversity, and global health.

Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, Director a.i, Epidemic and Pandemic Threat Management, at the World Health Organization (WHO), speaking from France, stressed that human health and animal health were closely linked, and protecting animals, improving surveillance, and strengthening biosecurity on farms were critical in keeping animals and humans safe. In 2024, 76 people had been reported to be infected with H5 avian influenza viruses, most of them farm workers. Sixty-one of the 76 cases reported this year, had been reported from the US, which had also reported outbreaks of H5 in wildlife and poultry and, more recently, in dairy cattle. Dr. Van Kerkhove reminded that the WHO had, for 70 years, the Global Influenza and Surveillance Response System (GISRS), and since 2011, the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness or PIP Framework. WHO was always working in a readiness mode, relying on GISRS that included institutions in 130 countries globally to track and study the virus. WHO, with partners and national authorities, regularly conducted detailed virological and epidemiological assessments, and ensures that existing candidate vaccines continue to be effective against the changing virus.

Based on the available information, the WHO assessed that the risk of infection for the public was currently low. However, for farm workers and others who were exposed to infected animals, the current public health risk was estimated as low-to-moderate, depending on certain factors such as the risk mitigation measures in place, the access and use of personal protective equipment such as coveralls, respirator masks, eye protection, gloves, and boots. The H5N1 viruses remained avian viruses, which had not adapted to spread between people, and thus far, among these cases, there had been no reported or identified human-to-human transmission through follow-up epidemiologic, virologic and serologic investigations. This could change quickly as the virus was evolving. WHO strongly advised that thorough investigations take place around each and every human detection to assess the possibility of human-to-human spread. Dr. Van Kerkhove informed that cows infected with the H5N1 virus had been reported to have high viral loads in their milk, which was why it was important to reiterate the longstanding advice to consume pasteurized milk. If pasteurized milk was not available, heating milk until it boiled also made it safe for consumption. Similarly, the WHO recommended thoroughly cooking meat and eggs when in areas affected by avian flu outbreaks.

Answering questions from the media, Dr. Van Kerkhove said that there had been a change in the reported numbers over time. The 76 reported cases this year was not unusual, however, and most of these cases were reported to be mild. Member States were urged to have more surveillance, especially among people dealing with livestock. Improvements in biosecurity and personal protection equipment for those working with animals were also recommended. There was now more attention given to avian influenza, which ought to be more comprehensively surveilled around the world. There was an entire global system in place to monitor, detect and sequence influenza viruses. In recent years, bird influenza was spreading to land birds and mammals, which required a multidisciplinary approach.

Human-to-human transmissions had not been detected so far, reiterated Dr. Van Kerkhove, responding to another question. Active case finding and analysis was necessary to ascertain if there were any cases of human-to-human transmission. The H5N1 virus was still being actively assessed, for which surveillance was of critical importance, and countries had to be prepared for different scenarios. Dr. Torres, for the WOAH, also emphasized the importance of integrated surveillance. Dr. Dhingra, for the FAO, added that the monitoring work was taking place both at the global and local level, cooperating directly with countries. Transmission between cattle was different from transmission among poultry, explained Dr. Torres, and more needed to be known in this regard; biosecurity and surveillance were the two key aspects. In the United States, all but two of the reported cases had been connected to infected animals. WHO recommended seasonal flu vaccines for vulnerable groups and formed part of the global influenza prevention efforts. WHO was continuing to work to reduce any anxieties related to vaccines or testing.

Responding to a question on mpox cases in Germany, Dr. Van Kerkhove reminded of the joint WHO-UNICEF guidance on preventing mpox in schools and learning space.
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continued: https://www.unognewsroom.org/story/en/2464/un-geneva-press-briefing-17-december-2024/7406