The World Health Organization (WHO) has made an announcement regarding Poland, becoming the first country to report a significant number of bird flu-infected cats across a wide region, resulting in fatal outcomes.
On Monday, the WHO disclosed that 29 cats in Poland tested positive for the H5N1 bird flu virus after Polish health authorities raised concerns about unusual cat deaths last month.
Out of the 46 cats and one captive caracal tested for the virus, 14 infected animals were euthanized, and another 11 perished. The origin of the cats' exposure to the virus remains unknown, prompting ongoing investigations to determine the cause.
Since late 2021, Europe has been grappling with its most severe outbreak of bird flu, with North and South America also experiencing significant outbreaks. This has led to the culling of millions of infected poultry worldwide, many of which were carriers of the H5N1 strain that emerged in 1996. Recent reports indicate a worrisome surge in infections among mammals.
Although sporadic cases of cats being infected with H5N1 have been reported in the past, this is the first instance of a high number of infected cats spanning a large geographic area within a country, according to the WHO.
As of July 12, no human contacts of the infected cats have reported any symptoms, and the surveillance period for all contacts has been concluded. The WHO emphasizes that the risk of human infection following exposure to infected cats is considered low for the general population in Poland.
However, for cat owners, veterinarians, and individuals with regular exposure to H5N1-infected cats without personal protective equipment, the risk is regarded as low to moderate.
While bird flu infections in humans are rare, they can lead to severe diseases with high mortality rates when they do occur.
Human cases of H5N1 are typically attributed to direct or indirect exposure to infected live or dead poultry or contaminated environments.
Since 2020, the WHO has received reports of 12 human H5N1 cases worldwide, with four being severe cases and eight being mild or asymptomatic
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