From The Scientist, January 7:
The Scientist spoke with the UK’s chief veterinary officer, Christine Middlemiss, about this winter’s high bird flu prevalence, the effects of the disease, and efforts to combat it.
The avian flu, or bird flu, is a disease caused by Type A influenza viruses carried by the winged animals, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to the US Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration, avian influenza viruses have been recorded in more than 100 wild bird species and pose a health risk to domesticated birds.
Avian flu can sometimes kill wild birds too. In late December, for example, BBC News reported the deaths from flu of thousands of wild cranes at the Hula Nature Reserve in Israel and the subsequent culling of tens of thousands of turkeys and more than half a million chickens by local farmers in an effort to contain the outbreak.
The UK is now experiencing its “largest ever” outbreak of avian influenza, BBC News reported last month, with more than 60 cases since the first report of infected swans in October. To prevent further spread of disease, all sites with infections must kill their birds, resulting in hundreds of thousands of birds culled already this flu season, the Associated Press reports. The UK government implemented an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone on November 2, 2021 requiring domestic bird owners to keep their birds indoors and follow biosecurity measures such as disinfecting equipment and clothing, regularly cleaning housing, and minimizing contact between poultry and wild birds.
The current recorded cases of avian flu in the UK is caused by H5N1, a subtype of influenza A viruses that is highly contagious among birds, report BBC News and the CDC. Despite the name of the disease, H5N1 can also infect other animals, including pigs, cats, and dogs. H5N1 has also infected humans, especially those in close contact with diseased birds for a long period of time. For example, Reuters reports that the UK Health Security Agency confirmed one human case of avian flu on January 6, but after contact tracing, “there is no evidence of onward spread of the infection to anyone else.” Avian flu cases in humans frequently result in severe respiratory illness and death, notes the CDC. However, the agency also notes that human infection with H5N1 is rare and human-to-human transmission of the virus is limited.
The Scientist spoke with UK Chief Veterinary Officer Christine Middlemiss about the current avian flu outbreak, the health and economic effects of the disease, and efforts to combat it.
The Scientist: What does a typical avian flu season look like?
Christine Middlemiss: I would caution against when we say “typical” avian flu season because what we find is, every season is different and indeed, every [confirmed case] is a bit different. But generally, over the last 15 years or so, what we’ve seen with bird flu is we [the UK] get infection coming back in migrating wild birds, as do our European neighbors. The birds go to the north of Russia for the summer, and they mix with birds . . . and they all exchange the viruses and then head back to Europe in the winter and can then potentially directly infect our poultry, our kept birds, or can infect our wild birds....
....MUCH MORE
Pfizer's CEO is a veterinarian, maybe he has some recurring-revenue ideas to tackle the problem.
