Bird Flu Sparks Pandemic Concerns: Pasteur Institute Warns ofโ Potential โfor Human Transmission
PARIS – โขTheโฃ Pasteur Institute is raising alarms about the evolving threatโ of bird flu,warning of itsโ potential to adapt and spread among mammals,and ultimately,humans. Anne Rameix-Welti,head of the institute’s influenza unit,voiced these concernsโ on Thursday,November 27th. โฃ
Unlike the common seasonal flu, peopleโ currently โขhave no existing antibodies against the H5 bird flu strain, which impacts both birds and mammals, โคRameix-Welti explained. This contrasts with Covid-19, which primarily posed a severe risk to vulnerable populations. Flu viruses, she cautioned, can cause fatalities even in healthy individuals.
The warning comes as hundreds of millions of birds have been culled globallyโฃ in recentโฃ years due to โthe โhighly pathogenic avian influenza. While human infections remain rare, typically occurring through close โcontact with infected animals, โฃa recent case โฃin Washington state marked the first confirmed human infection with the H5N5 subtype this month. The infected individual, who had pre-existing health conditions, succumbedโข to the virus last week.
According to a World Health Association (WHO) report, between 2003 and 2025, nearly 1,000 human cases of bird flu were recorded, โwith a mortality rate of 48 percent.
Despite the concerns, Gregorio Torres, head of the scienceโ department at the World Organization for Animal Health, stated the risk of a human pandemic remains low. He emphasized that global preparedness โฃhas improved since the onset of theโฃ Covid-19 pandemic. Rameix-Welti added that vaccine candidates and antiviral drug โฃstockpiles are already in advancement and are expected to โbe effective against theโ bird flu virus.
Theโ Institut pasteur was among the first European laboratories to develop testsโ for detecting Covid-19, positioningโ it at the forefront of pandemic response.
Sources: Reuters, Spiegel
