Cases of HN51 bird flu in mammals like those reported recently must be "monitored closely," the head of the World Health Organization said Wednesday, as its experts called on public health officials to prepare for human outbreaks of the disease.
H5N1 avian flu has existed for a quarter century, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a news conference. But new reports that the disease has crossed into small mammals like minks, otters, foxes, and sea lions are cause for alarm, given the species' similarities with humans.
