Scientists are becoming increasingly concerned about the global outbreak of avian influenza, H5N1, which they believe is evolving in ways not previously seen and could potentially cause another pandemic.
H5N1 is spreading among wild and domestic animals, with rising numbers of human cases, particularly among farmworkers, and there are concerns that it could mutate to spread easily between people, causing a global pandemic.
Currently, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continues to describe the virus’s threat to the public as low, but the likelihood of an H5N1 human pandemic is growing, experts say.
There is increasing concern that H5N1 could become established in multiple mammal species and could potentially become endemic in mammals in the foreseeable future, researchers say.
To mitigate the risk of a global pandemic, animal agriculture, wildlife management, trade policy, and even cat owners may all have to adapt to manage the virus on multiple fronts indefinitely. PHLX) and vaccine companies.