EBN- The World Health Organization (WHO) has called for increased surveillance of animals for evidence of H5N1 bird flu in order to limit its spread, Reuters reported.
A WHO official urged greater efforts to reduce the risk of the virus spreading to new species of animals and to humans.
“What we need globally, in the United States and beyond, is much stronger surveillance of animals, wild birds, poultry, and animals known to be susceptible,” said Maria Van Kerkhove, a WHO epidemiologist.
The agency said it is in contact with partner agencies such as the World Organisation for Animal Health and the Food and Agriculture Organization to increase animal surveillance.
Last month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed the presence of H5N1 avian influenza in a pig on a backyard farm in Oregon.
Pigs are of particular concern regarding the spread of avian influenza because they can become co-infected with avian and human viruses, which can swap genes to form a new, more dangerous virus that can infect humans more easily.
“We at WHO are always on a constant state of preparedness regarding influenza, because it is not a question of if it will happen, it is a question of when it will happen,” Kerkhove said, adding that the risk of bird flu to the general population remains low globally.
So far, 55 human cases of H5N1 avian influenza , including one in a child, have been reported in the United States this year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
