Health experts at France’s Institut Pasteur have raised fresh concerns over the rapidly spreading bird flu virus, warning that a global pandemic even more severe than COVID-19 could emerge if the virus mutates to allow efficient human-to-human transmission.
Marie-Anne Rameix-Welti, director of the Respiratory Infections Centre, explained that the highly pathogenic H5 strain—now widespread among wild birds, poultry, and several mammals—poses a significant danger because humans currently have no antibodies against it.
The virus has already caused the mass culling of birds worldwide and has infected mammals such as foxes, seals, and dairy cows. Although human cases remain rare, the U.S. recently confirmed its first-ever H5N5 death.
The WHO reports nearly 1,000 human bird flu outbreaks since 2003 with a fatality rate of 48%. While experts say the probability of a pandemic is still low, they emphasise global readiness through existing vaccine candidates and antiviral stockpiles.
#BirdFluUpdate #GlobalHealth #PandemicRisk #InstitutPasteur #PublicHealthAlert #H5Virus #HealthNews #WHO #GlobalSafety #FluWarning
