nottingham:
Covid emerged suddenly, spread rapidly and took the lives of millions of people around the world. Since then, I think it’s safe to say that people will be concerned about the emergence of the next big infectious disease, which could be a virus, bacteria, fungus or ‘parasite’.
In addition, officials also have to monitor pathogens of concern – especially those that have escaped the control of drugs like antibiotics and antivirals. These medicines are commonly used to get rid of these germs.
Scientists must also keep a close watch for the next possible problem. Although any disease can spread anywhere, some diseases can spread more rapidly in certain groups, including influenza viruses. Influenza virus is a matter of great concern at present and it may become a serious problem in 2025.
What is influenza virus?
A subtype of influenza A is H5N1, sometimes called “bird flu.” This virus spreads widely in both wild and domestic birds (such as chickens). Recently, the virus has also been infecting dairy cattle in several US states and has also been found in horses in Mongolia.
Why is influenza virus dangerous for humans?
When cases of influenza start increasing in birds, there is always a concern that it might reach humans. In fact, bird flu can infect humans as well. This year, 61 cases have been reported in America, most of which have occurred due to agricultural workers coming in contact with infected cattle and people drinking raw milk.
This is a huge increase compared to only two cases reported in America in the last two years. The mortality rate in cases of humans getting infected with bird flu is 30 percent. In such a situation, bird flu is one of the top diseases in the list of priorities of public health officials.
These flu viruses recognize these ‘sialic receptors’ very well inside the human body, which makes it easier for them to enter our cells, due to which this virus spreads in humans. On the other hand, this does not happen in the case of birds and bird flu spreads faster among them than among humans.
However, a recent study has shown that a mutation also occurs in the sequence of flu, which helps the H5N1 virus to spread from one person to another and may even cause a pandemic.
If this strain of bird flu starts spreading among humans, governments should take immediate action to control its spread. Centers for Disease Control around the world have created pandemic preparedness plans for bird flu and other diseases.
Bird flu may not be likely to spread to humans, but it may further affect the health of animals in 2025. This will not only have a major impact on the health of animals, but there is also a possibility of disruption of food supply and economic impact.
(Except the headline, this story has not been edited by the NDTV team and is published directly from a syndicated feed.)
