Will Bird Flu trigger another pandemic and lead to lockdowns? Here’s what experts have to say
Published On : 2024-11-16T12:44:48+0530 [ IST ] |
Author : Mayur_Tembhare
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The recent discovery of a human case of H5N1 bird flu in Canada raises alarms over the possibility of a new pandemic. A teenager in British Columbia remains in critical condition with acute respiratory distress due to testing positive
The teen whose identity and age have not been disclosed was reported that he had never been exposed to any health problems and was absolutely fit before the disease occurred according to a report broadcast on NBC's daily news
The patient is suffering from the H5N1 strain of bird flu which has spread among birds and poultry and has infected mammals while occasionally infecting humans. This incident follows a larger outbreak in the United States where 46human infections have been reported this
What is H5N1 bird flu?
Bird flu or avian influenza avian influenza affects birds but sometimes they also infect other animals and humans. H5N1 is just one of the subtypes of the avian influenza virus that has infected several people since it was first identified in 1997.
As Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security's Dr. Amesh Adalja said H5N1 had plenty of time to change since its first detection and doesn't spread easily between people.
Dr. Ian Lipkin a viral threats expert at Columbia University echoed this sentiment by highlighting that while the virus could potentially evolve to become more transmissible but it has not done so so far.
Will it lead to a pandemic?
Experts agree that the likelihood of a pandemic caused by H5N1 is still small because the virus is still quite poorly transmissible from human to human. While there are concerns about various avian influenza strains potentially causing pandemics in the future Adalja pointed out that H7N9 is a more pressing concern. This strain was first reported in humans in
While experts comment on the possibility of a lockdown because of outbreaks involving the bird flu, they do not believe this is a likely scenario for H5N1 as it is not a current serious health threat.
Overall experts claim that the threat of a pandemic immediately caused by H5N1 is low although it is still a source of concern for causing animal and human diseases.
Source : Reporters From Sunrise Chronicles
Tags : Bird , Despite , Medicine , More , Colorado , You , healthhuman case ofh5n1 bird fluin canada , While , Has , Lockdowns ,
Summary :
The recent discovery of a human case of H5N1 bird flu in Canada raises alarms over the possibility of a new pandemic. A teenager in British Columbia remains in critical condition with acute respira
