The UN-agency said countries should implement infection control measures and procedures to reduce human exposure to birds and mammals potentially infected with bird flu or other animal influenza viruses
There is a risk that the H5N1 bird flu virus, present in many wild birds, may infect cows in countries beyond the United States as they migrate, a World Health Organization official said on Tuesday.
U.S. officials are seeking to verify the safety of milk and meat after confirming the H5N1 virus in 34 dairy cattle herds in nine states since late March, and in one person in Texas. “With the virus carried around the world by migratory birds, certainly there is a risk for cows in other countries to be getting infected,” Wenqing Zhang, head of WHO’s Global Influenza Programme, said at a news briefing in Geneva.
The virus is widespread among wild birds in the United States and sometimes infects poultry and even outdoor cats, but up until now, has been rare in cows. Zhang reiterated that the U.N. agency deems the overall public health risk posed by the virus to be low but urged vigilance, especially among farm workers.
While the virus is not thought to be able to spread through milk, Zhang repeated long-standing WHO advice to only consume pasteurised milk.
Asked to evaluate U.S. transparency on the outbreak so far, Zhang said the global body had received regular updates and praised a decision to share the virus’ genetic sequence early.
“I do think the collaboration with U.S. CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and the information we’ve received so far enables us to monitor the situation and to update the preparedness measures,” she said.
Earlier, WHO had said that the current overall public health risk posed by the H5N1 bird flu virus is low, but urged countries to stay alert for cases of animal-to-human transmission.
The UN-agency said countries should implement infection control measures and procedures to reduce human exposure to birds and mammals potentially infected with bird flu or other animal influenza viruses.
The WHO said it strongly advises that people consume only pasteurized milk, in which bacteria and viruses have been killed, and avoid consuming raw milk.
“The virus has been detected in milk and its potential role in transmission is being investigated,” the agency added.
One in five commercial milk samples tested in a nationwide survey contained particles of the H5N1 virus, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said late on Thursday, suggesting the outbreak is more widespread in the country than previously thought.
U.S. officials have strengthened measures to contain the first known outbreak of the H5N1 virus in dairy cows, which has now spread to 33 herds in eight states.