Avian influenza, risk of human spread remains low

Writing in the New England Journal of Medicine, experts from the US National Institutes of Health argue that the risk of avian influenza caused by the H5N1 virus spreading to humans remains low, despite several cases reported last year. According to Jeanne Marrazzo, director of the NIH’s National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), and Michael Ison, chief of NIAID’s Division of Respiratory Diseases, available treatments and vaccines, as well as those in development, are sufficient to prevent severe forms of the disease. However, it is important to continue to monitor the virus and its mutations. Marrazzo and Ison say that early collaboration between human and veterinary researchers and the need for continuous epidemiological surveillance is key to controlling the spread of the epidemic. They also stress the importance of continuing to develop and test new vaccines and therapies, as well as improving the protection of people working around poultry and livestock. In 2024, 66 confirmed cases of avian influenza and 7 probable cases were reported in the US alone, and one more severe case in Canada, caused by both the variant virus circulating among birds and the one that has spread among livestock.