What risk does an outbreak of bird flu mean for people on Argentina’s Atlantic coast?

Cases of avian influenza have been confirmed in South American sea lions in South American provinces since early August. Tierra del Fuego, Santa Cruz, Chubut, Rionegro and Buenos Aires,Argentina. Seven sea lions are suspected to have died at the resort in the Buenos Aires area. Villarino They can also be affected by the virus.

The animals are found in various locations along the Atlantic coast of the country and its immediate vicinity Renewed concerns about the potential risk of bird flu spreading to humans.

Although it is an infection that primarily affects wild and domestic birds, Humans are not fully immune to pathogens. To this end, the National Produce Health and Quality Service Center (Senasa) respected Prevent entry and circulation of persons At the beach or in affected spaces.

From December 2021 to last July World Health Organization (WHO) previously reported 8 cases worldwide A person diagnosed with bird flu.

The outbreak in Argentina began in wild birds last February and continued in poultry. Country loses bird flu-free category It then resumed after the poultry outbreak was brought under control in August.

And it’s not the only country affected by the disease: A new strain of the virus was discovered in 2020, which they call the “H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b

Since last year, the strain has circulated in North America before reaching South America via migratory birds. As of the first week of July, 16 countries Latin America and the Caribbean Cases of animal infection with A(H5N1) have been reported.

in conversation database, Ariel Vagnozziveterinarian and director of poultry disease laboratory National Institute of Agricultural Technology (INTA) “Transmission from animals infected with influenza virus to different species, including humans, is uncommon,” explained the doctor in Buenos Aires Castellar.

The virus can be transmitted from animals such as birds to humans. This has been achieved. But so far, the virus has not been found to have adapted. “Since the virus is not adapted to humans, it is very difficult for it to spread from one person to another,” clarified experts who discussed at the conference last Monday. Argentinian Society of Virology.

The virus needs “adaptation” to circulate regularly within a species and generate epidemics, the expert added. This “adaptation” somehow makes it difficult for the virus to replicate in another species.

Because so little is known about the adaptation process, “predictions are very difficult to make, and when they are made, they are often very inaccurate,” Vagnozzi said.

It can be speculated that the closer a species affected by avian influenza is genetically to humans, the higher the probability of species jumping. “In theory, if you don’t take environmental factors or routes of transmission into account, it’s easier for a virus to spread from one mammal to another than from birds to mammals,” he said.

“There is always a risk, albeit low probability, of bird flu spreading to humans,” Vagnozzi said.

July 12, The World Health Organization and the World Health Organization have sounded the alarm on the risk of bird flu. They noted that the current outbreak of so-called bird flu “has wreaked havoc on animal populations, including poultry, wild birds and some mammals, and has harmed farmers’ livelihoods and the food trade”.

Although they have a great influence on animals, “These outbreaks pose a permanent risk to humanity.” The two U.N.-dependent health agencies are urging countries to work together across sectors to save as many animals as possible and protect humans.

besides Another reason scientists are keeping an eye on bird flu. Beginning with the 1918 influenza pandemic, in all four recorded influenza pandemics, the virus causing the pandemic contained at least one genome segment derived from an avian virus.

What is known so far is that between 2003 and April 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) received 873 reports of human H5N1 avian influenza infection, of which 458 died. This means a case fatality rate of 52%.

According to the doctor Ottolino Cosividirector Pan American Center for Foot-Mouth and Veterinary Public Health (PANAFTOSA) of pan american health organizationThe Rio de Janeiro, Brazil-based company said it could not rule out the possibility that the bird flu virus could cause the flu. Pandemic future. Although “currently, human cases of avian influenza associated with this H5N1 outbreak have been isolated.”

In the Region of the Americas, three human infections caused by avian influenza A(H5N1) have been reported: United States (April 2022), Ecuador (January 2023), and Chile (March 2023).

“Sustained human-to-human transmission was not detected in any of the cases. However, maintaining and intensifying surveillance of these cases is critical because We cannot ignore the risk of a potential pandemic caused by the avian influenza virus’, insisted Kosivi.

Since February last year, after cases of avian influenza in birds were confirmed in Argentina, early detection of people who had been in contact with affected animals began. The national health ministry reported that the individuals had been followed for 10 days.

In the latest epidemiological bulletin, The health department reported that since February, 334 exposed persons had been identified as being monitored, with 20 suspected cases registered. The National Influenza Center conducted research on these individuals. No avian influenza virus was detected in any of the 20 suspected cases.

In humans, avian influenza can be asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic with upper respiratory tract involvement, or progress to severe forms of pneumonia, respiratory distress, and multiorgan involvement.yes Common Bird Flu Symptoms: Fever, cough, sore throat, headache, shortness of breath, conjunctivitis, depending on virus subtype.

People acquire the infection primarily through direct contact with live or dead infected animals or their contaminated environment. The disease is not transmitted to humans through consumption of poultry meat and poultry by-products such as chicken or eggs. The Healthy Portfolio clarified that consuming chicken or eggs “does not endanger people’s health”.

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