Map reveals global bird flu hotspots as UK ‘stockpiles vaccines amid fears of a new pandemic’

AT least 19 people have tested positive for bird flu since 2022, a new report suggests – with five dying from the disease.

The bug, which has been rife in birds for years, is now regarded as a top threat for the next human pandemic.

The 19 cases were reported in eight different countries, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

This includes the US, Cambodia, Chile, China, Ecuador, Spain, the UK and Vietnam.

The above map reveals how many cases and deaths were reported in each country.

According to the new report, which covers cases from January 2022 through to December 27 2023, most people who caught the bug had been exposed to birds.

There is still no evidence that bird flu, known as H5N1, can be transmitted between people.

“Nearly all cases reported since January 2022 had recent exposure to sick or dead poultry, and no cases of human-to-human HPAI A(H5N1) virus transmission were identified,” it read.

“Rare, limited, and non-sustained instances of human-to-human virus transmission likely occurred in a small number of family members following prolonged, close unprotected exposure with a symptomatic case-patient during 2004-2007 in multiple countries.”

Nine of the human cases noted in the report were recorded as severe, and five resulted in death.

Three cases were mild, and seven reported no symptoms at all.

It comes as health officials draw up plans to stockpile vaccines in case of a bird flu pandemic in humans.

No human bird flu jab is on the market, so the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) could load up on generic flu vaccines to prepare.

Across the globe, 882 people have contracted H5N1 avian influenza since 2003, including 461 who died. 

Human infections have been relatively limited for the last few years; 2023 has seen the highest toll since 2016.

However, the total remains far lower than the 145 cases detected in 2015, a record high. 

Last month, an unnamed Chinese woman died from H5N6 strain after visiting a live poultry market in Sichuan, Hong Kong.

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What is bird flu?

Bird flu is a well-known infectious disease of poultry and wild birds.

Other animals, such as seals, otters, wild dogs, and foxes, have also been catching the illness.

This month, a polar bear from Alaska died after contracting the H5N1 virus.

The H5N1 bug is the most prevalent strain in circulation at the moment.

Experts worry that the sheer scale of the current spread could give the virus more opportunities to mutate, enabling H5N1 to better spread in humans.

The UKHSA said people with the highest risk of exposure to infected birds are contacted daily to monitor for the development of any symptoms.

In the asymptomatic surveillance programme run by the UKHSA, poultry workers are asked to swab their nose and throat to check for flu during the 10 days after exposure.

In some cases, they may also be asked to have finger prick blood tests to see if antibodies against avian flu are picked up.

Anyone in contact with a person with bird flu may also be tested.

They may be offered antiviral drugs to protect themselves from infection and lessen the chance of passing it on.