WHO: Risk to Humans from H5N1 Bird Flu Remains Low but We Must Prepare

A woman sales eggs on the wet market, in Shanghai, China, 03 February 2023. (EPA)

The recent spread to mammals of H5N1 influenza - commonly known as bird flu - needs to be monitored, but the risk to humans remains low, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday.

H5N1 has spread among poultry and wild birds for 25 years, Director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters in a virtual briefing, but the recent reports of infections in mink, otters and sealions "need to be monitored closely".