Not enough is being done to deal with out-of-control H5N1 outbreaks on fur farms Finland or mysterious outbreaks in domestic cats Poland.
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Finland, one of Europe’s largest fur producers, is battling an outbreak at home Mink, fox Species such as raccoon dogs and captive raccoon dogs are more likely to develop a variant capable of infecting humans, causing human outbreaks, scientists have warned.
Even the Finnish Food Administration pointed out in its bulletin about animal slaughter that mink are susceptible to human and bird flu infections. If an animal is infected with both diseases at the same time, Viruses can mix genes and cause bird flu that can infect humans. However, fur farms in Finland are not closing. Instead, the Finnish Wildlife Service allows fur farmers to hunt large numbers of wild birds near their farms. The agency said the culling was authorized “to prevent contact between infected birds and animals on fur farms,” but scientists said it was wrong and likely futile, and more fur farming in Finland has since A new outbreak was announced.
At the same time, the authorities stated Massive H5N1 Influenza Outbreak in Polish Domestic Cats It has killed at least 29 animals this summer, though cat owners have listed as many as 89 sick animals. The outbreak has many unusual features that make it particularly worrisome, but exactly why it occurred has yet to be explained or actively investigated.
The affected cats live in different parts of Poland, but their virus has been almost identical gene sequence. Obviously they cannot infect each other. Wild birds are an unlikely source of infection, especially since some of the cats never go outside, and no outbreak has been seen in neighboring Poland.Clearly, this outbreak has had its impact origin in Poland.
Scientists and cat owners are skeptical of cat food.
Gene mutation
Furthermore, the virus from all sick cats in Poland two specific gene mutations They are found almost exclusively in mammals, so either all cats are infected and their virus then produces these mutations independently, or both mutations are already present in whatever infects them.
Tom Peacock studies bird flu at the institute Imperial Collegewhich explained to me that the most likely scenario is Cats will eat the meat of sick mammals Or poultry, where the virus somehow produces these mutations that are normally associated with mammalian adaptation.
Both options are staggering, and we’re still missing answers about how all these geographically dispersed cats got infected with H5N1.
Scientists in Poland were only able to test five food samples, and only one of them (chicken intended for human consumption, which was also fed to cats) was found to be positive for H5N1. However, as Scientific Reports points out, this is just a sample of the possible contamination of animals after they become ill at home.
H5N1 has also been recently detected in two cat shelters Seoul, Korea. Authorities suspected cat food was the source and recalled two breeds of one brand from the market. While research there may yield some answers, the situation is not the same as in Poland because Korean cats live in the same place.
It is necessary to implement Extensive testing throughout the food chain to determine the actual source. However, authorities have yet to provide the public with any information if such an investigation is underway in Poland.