The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is raising the alarm over a rapidly escalating bird flu crisis as the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus spreads from poultry to mammals, fueling concerns over food security and a potential human spillover.
The virus, first identified in 1996 in China, has forced mass culls worldwide, with Europe losing 47.7 million farmed birds in the 2021-22 epidemic and the U.S. culling at least 166 million since the latest outbreak began. The fallout has sent egg prices soaring in the U.S.
FAO Deputy Director-General Godfrey Magwenzi on Monday described the situation as unprecedented, leading to “serious impacts” on food production, rural jobs, local economies and prices for consumers.
The virus isn’t stopping at poultry barns. H5N1 has also surfaced in wild and domestic mammals, including zoo animals, pets and dairy cattle.
While human infections remain rare, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) have identified genetic markers that could increase the virus’s ability to adapt to mammals — including humans. However, there is no confirmed evidence of sustained human-to-human transmission.
FAO officials are urging governments to ramp up surveillance, strengthen biosecurity and bolster outbreak response. “A chain is only as strong as its weakest link,” FAO Deputy Director-General Beth Bechdol said, emphasizing the need for coordinated global action to curb the virus’s spread and prevent further disruptions to food systems.
While wild birds play a key role in transmission, evidence also points to high-density poultry farming as a factor that can accelerate outbreaks when biosecurity measures fail. Large farms, where thousands of birds are housed close together, create ideal conditions for the virus to spread and mutate.
For now, public health officials insist the risk remains low. But scientists warn that the virus’s spread in mammals gives it more chances to evolve, increasing its potential to infect humans.
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