EU Warns: Mutating Bird Flu Poses “Pandemic Threat”

Politico Europe reports:

Bird flu poses an increasing pandemic threat as it becomes more adaptive, jumping to humans, pets and zoo animals, Europe’s disease and food agencies warned on Wednesday. They are urging countries to step up their surveillance and containment measures to prevent the virus from continuing to evolve and become more dangerous to people.

“In 2024, avian influenza viruses expanded their reach, infecting previously unaffected species. Our work identifies key mutations linked to a potential spread to humans, requiring rapid detection and response,” Bernhard Url, acting executive director at the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), said in a press release.

The ECDC and EFSA have identified 34 key genetic mutations that make the virus more likely to jump from animals to humans but also to replicate to allow human-to-human transmission.

Read the full article.

“Bird flu poses growing pandemic threat as virus evolves”

Sure. Why not. Anything else? A tsunami? An earthquake? A meteor? Fascist takeovers in democratic countries?

Oh, wait…

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— Thomas Backhaus (@thoba.bsky.social) January 29, 2025 at 1:36 PM