At the end of June, Polish health authorities reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) the unusual deaths of several cats across the country. By July 11, samples from 47 animals (46 cats and one captive caracal) had been analyzed and a total of 29 had tested positive for influenza A (H5N1).

A WHO report said 11 cats were euthanized and 11 died, with the last death occurring on June 30. Therefore, an investigation was conducted to identify the source of exposure of the cats.

The organization also reported that no human contact with infected cats has reported any symptoms since July 11, and that this was the first report of a large number of infected cats in a large geographic area within a country.

The avian flu virus is evolving rapidly, specialists say

Since the end of 2021, Europe has been facing its worst bird flu outbreak, while North and South America are also making big gains.

This situation led to the slaughter of millions of poultry around the world, many of them infected with H5NI, which emerged in 1996.

Recently, a disturbing increase in infections in mammals was recorded and the UN health agency specified that other sporadic infections of cats have already been reported.

Given the concerns that the public may have, the risk of human infections following exposure to infected cats was reported to be “low to moderate for the general population and for cat owners and those who are occupationally exposed to cats infected with H5N1 (such as veterinarians ). without the use of appropriate personnel. protective equipment”.

Chile rules out avian flu among thousands of seabirds found dead in the north of the country

Infection with bird flu in humans is very rare, but if it does occur it can cause serious illness, with a high mortality rate.

Human H5N1 cases generally result from direct or indirect exposure to live or dead poultry or a contaminated environment.

The WHO has reported 12 cases of human infection with H5N1 worldwide since 2020. Four were severe, while the remaining eight were moderate or asymptomatic.