Bird Flu – What You Need To Know

There has been a lot in the media recently about bird flu or the H5N1 virus. What is bird flu? Do you need to worry? What precautions should you be taking now? BuDS has looked at the latest news and World Health Organisation (WHO) information and guidance to answer all these questions and more.

Read on for more.

This post was updated on 30 April 2024 to cover new information.

What Is Bird Flu?
How Do People Get Infected?
Are There Treatments or Vaccines Against H5N1?
How Do I Avoid Catching H5N1?
Do I Need To Be Worried?
The Future
Easy Read Graphic
Sources

What Is Bird Flu?

Bird flu is technically known as avian influenza and the virus that causes avian influenza is called H5N1. We use H5N1 in this article to mean the bird flu virus.

H5N1 is a type of influenza virus mainly found in birds, but increasingly in other animals. While loosely related to the flu virus that we see in humans every year, it is not usually seen in humans. So far, H5N1 cannot pass easily between humans; it is still an animal virus which a few unlucky humans catch.

H5N1 has spread very widely in the last few years. It has gone from a rare disease mostly in SE Asia to a disease found in nearly every wild bird population across the world, including here in the UK. Many birds don’t get ill with bird flu but carry the virus and give it to other birds and animals. Billions of birds have died from H5N1, and it has caused huge losses of endangered birds like penguins who are catching it for the first time.

H5N1 has also now spread to some populations of mammals like seals, cattle, foxes, dogs and cats. Because mammals have no immune defence against H5N1, it can be very dangerous for them. Millions of seals worldwide have now died of H5N1, for example.

H5N1 is extremely dangerous to humans. Luckily, there has never been a case of someone catching H5N1 from an infected human, so cases are rare. Due to this severity in humans, however, all cases of H5N1 are under observation by national health agencies and the WHO.

H5N1, and other types of animal-borne flu viruses, are endemic and impossible to eradicate due to the global spread of infected creatures.

How Do People Get Infected?

People become infected with H5N1 mainly by coming into contact with an infected bird. There have been some suspected cases where humans may have caught H5N1 from mammals like cows, dogs, cats and foxes. These cases are all under investigation.

There has not yet been any case of a human catching H5N1 from another infected human. H5N1 doesn’t yet spread between humans.

The primary places that people are infected are in jobs and places linked with poultry and animals, such as slaughterhouses, live bird markets, and animal farms. Infection can occur when meeting either a live or dead bird or animal, or in some cases from eating an infected bird or animal that has been improperly cooked. However, there have never been any cases of someone becoming infected from consuming eggs from an infected bird, or eating properly-cooked meat from a bird or animal that was infected in life.

Are There Treatments or Vaccines Against H5N1?

There are no effective treatments for H5N1 specifically, although modern facilities like intensive care units and ventilators will help people with severe disease. Some antiviral medicines are believed to be effective in preventing H5N1 disease from becoming severe in humans. However, this hasn’t been fully proven yet.

The good news is that there are vaccines available against H5N1. These vaccines, for both animals and humans, are proven to help stop H5N1 from causing severe illness. However, the vaccines only exist in small quantities in a few labs and would need to be produced in the billions if lots of animals or humans started getting ill with H5N1. This will take years to do and require a huge investment.

How Do I Avoid Catching H5N1?

Although H5N1 is rarely found in humans, it is extremely dangerous, with a high death rate. For that reason, it is sensible to take steps to avoid catching it.

The best way to avoid catching H5N1 is simply to avoid birds and animals which might be infected. This means not going near poultry farms, cattle markets, live food markets, or anywhere that poultry, birds or animals are killed or cooked in large quantities. If you work at these places or must visit them, follow the advice of your professional or trade body.

Here are some other sensible precautions:

If you come across a dead bird or animal, or numbers of dead birds or animals, do stay away stay away from them (and keep pets and children away too). Do report it using this link: Report dead wild birds – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Do stop your pets – especially dogs –going near any dead animal, especially birds, or roaming freely if you live near bird or animal farms and markets. Do report any dead birds or animals that you find.
If you feed wild birds in your garden, do wear disposable or rubber gloves when handling the bird feeders. Do wash feeders (and gloves, if not disposable) regularly outside in a bucket of hot soapy water. Don’t let wild birds perch on your hands or body.
When out, do avoid contact with animal and bird manure. Do clean your footwear and wash your hands on returning home, especially if you have been walking where animals or birds have been. If visiting a play or open farm or zoo, do follow their safety instructions.

Do I Need To Be Worried?

At present, you do not need to be particularly worried about H5N1, unless you work with birds or animals or encounter them regularly. If you do work with animals regularly, you should follow the advice from your appropriate professional or trade body or from UKHSA.

The Future

The big concern about H5N1 is that it will mutate into a form which passes between humans. This has not happened yet, but most experts believe it will probably happen in the next few years, or potentially even sooner. Viruses change every time they pass from one animal to another and especially when they pass from one species, like birds, to another species, like cattle or dogs. The H5N1 virus is doing exactly this on a huge scale all over the world. This amount of mutation means that, sooner or later, H5N1 will probably mutate into a form which can pass between humans.

We don’t know whether the future human version of H5N1 will be as dangerous to humans as the present bird version, or whether it will be easy to catch and pass on. However, it’s safest at the moment to think that H5N1 could become an exceptionally dangerous virus for humans, especially in the years while vaccines are being produced and given to the population. For this reason, public health precautions like lockdowns, restricted movement, face masks and air purification are likely to be needed while H5N1 vaccines are being produced.

There are similarities between H5N1 and SARS-COV-21, the virus that causes Covid. They are both airborne viruses that are highly contagious. SARS-COV-21 started as an animal virus (like H5N1 is now) in an animal market in China before jumping into the human population in 2020 and spreading incredibly quickly around the world. H5N1 is likely to do the same if it jumps into the human population.

Remember, precautions against Covid will also protect against H5N1, as they are both airborne viruses. Investing in respiratory masks, HEPA air filters and changing your lifestyle will help protect you both against the continuing risk from Covid and any new risk from a human form of H5N1.

BuDS’ team will keep you updated about Bird Flu/H5N1 whenever there is anything major to report.