Certain strains of bird flu spread ‘efficiently’ among ferrets, suggest potential for human transmission: new research – CTV
April 26, 2023
New Canadian research has found that certain strains of bird flu, responsible for the deaths of millions of birds worldwide, are capable of spreading quickly and “efficiently” between ferrets in a laboratory setting, raising alarm bells that it may be able to jump species to humans as well.
Avian influenza — known more commonly as bird flu — has been spreading across Canada in farmed birds since 2021, with more than 7.5 million birds impacted as of last week, according to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).
Human infections of bird flu are rare, and mostly occur after close contact with infected birds through poultry farms or live bird markets.
The real concern would be if the virus were able to make the full jump to humans, and then be spread from human to human — a possibility that scientists have been keeping an eye on.
