Hey, have you heard? H5N1 (avian flu) is something to keep an eye on. The disease has already killed 58.4 million domestic birds in the United States alone and some scientists, according to The Atlantic, are calling the outbreak "larger, faster-moving, and more devastating to North America's wildlife than any other in recorded history." The virus has been detected in more than 150 wild and domestic avian species, and has jumped from birds to mammals. So far, scientists have found the virus in over a dozen mammal species—all over the world foxes, bears, mink, whales, seals, and more have been dying in quick and horrific fashion. As CNN reports, The World Health Organization is telling us that while bird flu isn't "a direct threat to humans yet," they are "keeping a close eye" on it. CNN further explains that WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that the current risk to humans from bird flu is low, but also cautioned that "we cannot assume that will remain the case."
If you want to keep up with the latest H5N1 news, go follow Claudinne Miller on Twitter. She is a Global Health Security Analyst at the University of Nebraska Medical Center's Global Center for Health Security. She recently shared a map that is tracking global H5N1 outbreaks in birds, mammals, and humans. You can also find the map here at the UNMC Global Center for Health Security's website, which explains that the data in the map is "sourced and imported from FAO EMPRES, USDA APHIS, WAHIS, and open-source news reports beginning in late 2022 to current." The map is updated every Tuesday.
