The spread of the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus H5N1 among animals is unprecedented having been found on all continents — except Oceania — with the United Nations calling it “a global zoonotic animal pandemic.”
H5N1 is known to be able to infect over 350 species of birds and close to 60 species of mammals with migratory waterfowl — including ducks, swans, geese and gulls — being especially susceptible to various avian-borne influenza viruses. H5N1 infected waterfowl are normally asymptomatic carriers, however, these birds can infect other species (including mammals) along their migratory routes. This global transference allows disease to spread, and for virus genetics and virulence to continually adapt.
Alarmingly, evidence indicates that climate change seems to be impacting the emergence of zoonotic viruses like H5N1. As global climate conditions change, avian migratory patterns and routes are also changing. Higher temperatures and extreme weather has resulted in large-scale population shifts in a range of temperate species. These changes have led to diseases emerging in areas — and in genetic configurations — entirely unique and unprecedented.
