LONDON (AP) — The World Health Organization reported that over two dozen cats in Poland have tested positive for bird flu. However, no cases of illness in humans have been reported.
In a statement released on Monday, the U.N. health agency stated that this is the first time that such a large number of cats in one country have been infected with bird flu across such a large geographical area. This outbreak is occurring during a global epidemic of the latest strain of the H5N1 bird flu virus.
The Polish authorities alerted WHO officials last month about the unusually high number of cat deaths in 13 different regions of the country. Testing conducted last week confirmed that 29 of the cats were infected with H5N1.
Since June, the latest strain of H5N1 has been detected in birds and other animals in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas. WHO has reported a total of 12 human cases since 2020.
Scientists are concerned that the growing number of H5N1 cases, especially in animals that have regular contact with humans, could lead to the emergence of a mutated strain that spreads easily among people and triggers another pandemic.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, experts had predicted that the next global outbreak would be caused by H5N1. However, while bird flu has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of millions of birds worldwide, it has infected less than 900 people since 2003 and has not shown the ability to easily spread among humans.
WHO stated that it is unclear how the domestic cats in Poland became infected with bird flu and investigations are ongoing to determine potential sources of exposure, including contact with wild birds known to carry H5N1. The agency assessed the risk of bird flu infection in Poland as “low” for humans and “low to moderate” for individuals with contact with cats, including cat owners and veterinarians.
Last week, WHO and its partners issued a warning about the unusual increase in H5N1 infections in mammals. Experts have previously noted that pigs, which are susceptible to flu viruses from both birds and humans, can act as a “mixing vessel”, potentially leading to the emergence of mutated viruses that could be lethal to humans.
Within the last year, bird flu outbreaks in mammals, including farmed mink in Spain, seals in the U.S., and sea lions in Peru and Chile, have been reported in 10 countries.