Health experts have sounded the alarm over the rapid spread of Bird Flu also known as Avian Influenza warning that its most dangerous strain,H5N1, could trigger a pandemic more severe than COVID-19 if it acquires the ability to spread easily among humans.
Bird Flu is a highly contagious virus that primarily affects birds, but H5N1 has increasingly been detected in mammals such as cows, sea lions, and foxes, as well as in rare human cases.
According to a report, global health authorities fear that if the virus mutates to allow sustained human-to-human transmission, it could spark a far deadlier global outbreak.
Experts warned that the spread of H5N1 has reached an exceptionally concerning level. The greatest fear is that the virus could fully adapt to humans: If it begins transmitting between people, it could lead to a severe global pandemic.
According to reports experts said that millions of birds worldwide were culled to contain outbreaks, disrupting food supply chains and driving egg and poultry prices sharply upward. Human infections remain rare.
No Existing Immunity Against H5 Strains
The expert explained that while people typically have some immunity against seasonal influenza strains like H1 and H3, there are no existing antibodies against H5 similar to the early days of COVID-19.
Flu viruses, she warned, can kill healthy adults and children, unlike COVID-19, which mostly threatened the elderly and immunocompromised.
In the United States, H5N1 has been spreading rapidly through poultry and dairy cattle. Earlier this month, Washington state reported the first human case of H5N5; the patient, who had underlying conditions, later died.
According to the World Health Organization, nearly 1,000 human cases of Bird Flu have been reported globally from 2003 to 2025, with a high fatality rate of 48 percent. Most cases were recorded in Egypt, Indonesia, and Vietnam.
