July 30, 2024

 

UN urges unified response to rising avian flu threat in Asia-Pacific

The United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has called for an urgent and coordinated response to the increasing threat of avian influenza in humans and animals across the Asia-Pacific region, Reuters reported.

 

In a statement, the FAO highlighted the alarming spread of the H5N1 virus, which has now reached as far as South America and Antarctica, infecting new species of wild and domestic animals.

 

"Since late 2023, we have observed a rise in human cases and the virus spreading to new animal species," said Kachen Wongsathapornchai, regional manager of the FAO's Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases. "The emergence of novel A/H5N1 strains, which are more easily transmissible, increases the pandemic threat. Immediate, coordinated preventive measures are essential."

 

The FAO reported 13 new human infections in Cambodia since late 2023, with additional cases in China and Vietnam. The Greater Mekong subregion, Indonesia, and the Philippines are under heightened scrutiny due to their diverse ecological landscapes and limited biosecurity measures. India, Nepal, and Bangladesh are also battling outbreaks, while Thailand and Myanmar, part of the Greater Mekong region, have not reported outbreaks in years.

 

The FAO urged member nations to work together to implement comprehensive surveillance systems, including full genome sequencing, to track the virus's spread and evolution. It also called on governments, international organisations, and the private sector to share information transparently and stressed the need for the poultry industry to strengthen biosafety measures.

 

Bird flu typically spreads to farm animals from wild birds. The H5N1 strain has caused significant global impact in recent years, killing billions of farmed and wild birds and spreading to tens of mammal species. Australia, currently dealing with three parallel outbreaks of bird flu, reported a human H5N1 case in May.

 

Earlier this year, a Chinese woman died from a rare H3N8 subtype of avian influenza, marking the world's first death from this strain.

 

-      Reuters