Of all the recently emerging and potentially pandemic viruses, the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus H5N1 is one of the fiercest. First detected in Hong Kong in 1997, it spread to the rest of the world with a mortality rate of 60% when transmitted from birds to humans. The World Health Organization has declared in August 2023 that 878 cases and 458 deaths were recorded since 1997.
The past two years have seen a new strain of the virus circulate among wild birds and domestic poultry in Europe and the Americas, with high avian mortality. So far, humans appear to have been spared, with five cases recorded since early 2023. International health authorities are however keeping a close eye on mutations of the virus and prescribing strict measures to control its spread.
