In response to the death of a Cambodian girl from H5N1, the Health Security Agency of the United Kingdom has issued a warning but notes that human-to-human transmission is uncommon.
If indications surface that avian flu has begun to move from person to person, British health officials are preparing to implement lateral flow tests.
The initiative would rapidly disseminate information about the disease’s hazards.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is also developing blood tests to detect antibodies against the virus, and experts will analyze the disease’s genetic alterations to reveal information about the elevated danger of avian flu to human health.
The actions follow last week’s report that an 11-year-old Cambodian girl died of H5N1, a form of influenza that is being spread globally by migrating birds and is infecting poultry farms.
Now, investigators are attempting to determine whether sick birds or human-to-human transmission caused the Cambodian case.
Currently, research suggests that the H5N1 virus is not easily transmitted to humans, however scientists have cautioned caution.
Dr. Meera Chand, incident director for avian influenza at the UKHSA, stated, “Viruses always adapt, and we remain attentive for any evidence of a change in population risk.”
Professor Ian Brown of the Animal and Plant Health Agency supported this stance (APHA). Since 1996, there have been over 850 human cases worldwide, with a high case-fatality rate.
To date, almost all occurrences have not resulted in human-to-human transmission, but monitoring is still necessary.
Although direct risks of infection were low, scientists warned last week that people should avoid contact with sick or dead wild birds in public locations such as parks or waterways and wash their hands after feeding wild birds.
During December 2022, the UKHSA has confirmed cases of avian influenza in poultry at 145 facilities and in 656 wild birds in England, an increase of 15 new sites and 209 detections in wild birds.
In addition, avian influenza was detected in 14 of 134 wild mammals collected since October 2021, including four foxes in England and one in Wales. In Scotland, there were four otter cases, four seal cases, and one fox case.
Prof. Jonathan Ball of Nottingham University stated, “This virus keeps reappearing in other mammals, which could enhance the likelihood of future human infections.” “The risk to people is still quite low, but we must continue to watch the spread of influenza in both avian and mammal populations.”
It is believed that a successful transmission of an avian flu virus to humans precipitated the human Spanish flu pandemic of 1918, which killed an estimated 50 million people.
“The first strain subsequently evolved and became endemic in the human population, giving rise to seasonal flu viruses,” said Professor Massimo Palmarini, director of Glasgow University’s Institute for Viral Research.
“This is why it is crucial to diagnose human cases of avian influenza as rapidly as possible and to ensure that the virus has as few opportunities as possible to spread and change.”
