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Articles on Avian flu

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The World Health Organization has declared an end to COVID-19’s status as a public health emergency of international concern. (Shutterstock)

Learning from COVID-19: The global health emergency has ended. Here’s what is needed to prepare for the next one

After previous public health emergencies likes SARS and H1N1, there was renewed investment in pandemic preparedness, but it was not sustained. We cannot make the same mistake after COVID-19.
Avian influenza (‘bird flu’) is a highly transmissible and usually mild disease that affects wild birds such as geese, swans, seagulls, shorebirds, and also domestic birds such as chickens and turkeys. (CDC and NIAID)

Bird flu FAQ: What is avian influenza? How is it transmitted to humans? What are the symptoms? Are there effective treatments and vaccines? Will H5N1 become the next viral pandemic?

Avian influenza — commonly known as ‘bird flu’ — is infecting domestic and wild birds in Canada and around the world.
Bird flu is transmitted mainly by wild birds, like these snow geese in Ruthsberg, Md., in January 2023. Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images

As bird flu continues to spread in the US and worldwide, what’s the risk that it could start a human pandemic? 4 questions answered

Avian influenza viruses have evolved to infect birds, but the current H5N1 outbreak is also infecting a wide range of mammals. This suggests that it could mutate into forms that threaten humans.
Wild birds like pelicans and ducks are getting infected with – and dying from – a new strain of avian influenza and have spread it to farm animals around the world. Klebher Vasquez/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

What is spillover? Bird flu outbreak underscores need for early detection to prevent the next big pandemic

A biologist who studies how viruses spread from animals to people explains the process of spillover and the risks posed by the new bird flu that has spread across the globe.

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