KATHMANDU, May 11: Bird flu (H5N1) could rapidly evolve into a human pandemic, warns a new study, calling for immediate surveillance and raising alarms over potential transmission from infected cats to humans.
Researchers from the University of Maryland published their findings in the May 2024 issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases. Analyzing global data from 2004 to 2024, they identified 607 H5N1 infections in cats across 18 countries, with 302 resulting in death.
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"The virus has jumped from birds to cats and between cattle and cats, increasing the risk to humans," the researchers stated. Infected cats showed severe symptoms like encephalitis, often mistaken for rabies. The strain proved deadly in over 90 percent of infected domestic cats.
Cats typically contract the virus from consuming infected birds, raw meat, or unpasteurized cow's milk. However, due to limited monitoring, infections often go undetected until after death.
The study calls for urgent research into whether cats are transmitting the virus within communities. To date, H5N1 has infected 950 people worldwide, with a fatality rate of about 50 percent. Researchers warn that outbreaks in animal shelters could trigger major epidemics, potentially more severe than the 2016 New York outbreak. They also flagged the risk of airborne transmission from cats to humans.
