Bird flu’s momentum in Canada worries experts: ‘Potential to become a pandemic’ – GLOBAL
March 25, 2023
Bird flu, or avian flu, continues to spread across Canada, leaving some experts worried about its potential to become more transmissible among humans, and potentially sparking another pandemic.
The current outbreak circulating North and South America is known as H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b. It has killed record numbers of birds and infected mammals.
Although human cases remain rare, Shayan Sharif, a professor and associate dean with the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph, warned the virus is “gathering momentum” and becoming more of a human threat.
“Various pieces of the puzzle are coming together for this virus to become transmissible among humans,” he told Global News. “And this particular virus has the potential to become a pandemic virus, and if it does, then we have to be absolutely ready because the fatality rate of this virus could be far greater than what we saw for COVID-19.”
Read more: https://globalnews.ca/news/9575793/bird-flu-pandemic-potential-canada/
