A World Health Organization (WHO) official said on Tuesday (Apr 30) there was a risk of the H5N1 bird flu virus spreading to cows in countries other than the United States through migratory birds.

A World Health Organization (WHO) official said on Tuesday (Apr 30) there was a risk of the H5N1 bird flu virus spreading to cows in countries other than the United States through migratory birds. WHO further noted that Washington is frequently updated about the outbreak. So far, the US is the only country where dairy cows have been infected as earlier this month, US authorities said a person working on a dairy farm in Texas was recovering from bird flu after having been exposed to cattle. "We have been receiving information and we have been receiving almost daily updates," said Wenqing Zhang, head of the global influenza programme at the World Health Organization. "The response update has been updated routinely and in transparency. So we've got the information when it's available and we update our risk assessment," she told a press conference on being asked whether or not the US was being transparent. Also read: Trump hush money trial: Former US president fined $9,000 for violating gag order The official said that serological studies were underway but may take time to complete, adding that genetic sequencing data had been made available, some "at a very early stage" of the US cattle outbreak. She added that "the genetic sequence data of the human case was immediately available when it came out". WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier added: "The fact that this got picked up, the fact that we now know about individual cases somewhere in some farm -- that shows that the surveillance system works." Also read: AstraZeneca Covid vaccine: Court case, rare side effects, admission of guilt, and more. All you need to know Avian influenza A(H5N1) first emerged in 1996. The 2.3.4.4b clade of the virus, first detected in 2020, is behind an exponential growth in the number of outbreaks in birds. The strain has led to the deaths of tens of millions of poultry, with wild birds and land and marine mammals also infected. (With inputs from agencies)

US providing frequent updates on bird flu outbreak: WHO

A health alarm was raised across the United States after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Tuesday (April 23) said that they had found fragments of the bird flu virus in a few samples of pasteurised milk in the United States.

A health alarm was raised across the United States after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Tuesday (April 23) said that they had found fragments of the bird flu virus in a few samples of pasteurised milk in the United States. Although the agency has maintained that the milk is safe for consumption, it emphasised that it is still waiting for the results of the test to confirm this. The findings of the FDA emerged less than a month after the H5N1 strain of bird flu was discovered for the first time in dairy cows in several states. Since then, the flu has been detected in herds in eight states. Also Read: Experts flag potential Bird Flu epidemic as '100 times worse than Covid' The FDA has been working to investigate the outbreak with the US Department of Agriculture and the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Commercial milk supply is safe, says FDA The FDA said that the fragments of the virus were discovered when the pasteurised milk samples were tested. The testing method used is called PCR testing which looks for bits of genetic material. If the result is positive, that doesn't mean they have found a live, infectious virus. Watch: USDA reveals bird flu updates, Cattle movement implicated in bird flu outbreak “Based on available information, pasteurisation is likely to inactivate the virus, however, the process is not expected to remove the presence of viral particles,” said the agency in a release that it plans to make public on Tuesday. “To date, we have seen nothing that would change our assessment that the commercial milk supply is safe. Results from multiple studies will be made available in the next few days to weeks,” added the agency. Specifically, the FDA is looking at whether bird flu in cow milk is inactivated by pasteurisation. The findings will be available in the “next few days to weeks,” it stated. The FDA in its testing will use egg inoculation tests, which are seen as the gold standard to determine if a sample is infectious. In this test, they inject a chicken egg with a small amount of infected milk and observe if the active virus starts to replicate. (With inputs from agencies)

FDA traces fragments of bird flu virus in pasteurised milk, detailed report awaited

Peru on Tuesday (February 7) said that H5N1 bird flu virus has caused the death of 585 sea lions and 55,000 wild birds in recent weeks. This has been mentioned in the country's latest report on the disease's impact.&nbsp;Following the discovery of 55,000 dead birds in eight protected coastal areas, rangers found the bird flu that killed them had also claimed 585 sea lions in seven protected marine areas, the Sernanp natural areas protection agency said.

The agency further said that the dead birds include pelicans, various types of gulls and penguins.

Presence of H5N1 in dead sea lions, confirmed by laboratory tests has led authorities to announce a "biological vigilance protocol."

For its part, Peru's National Forest and Wildlife Service (SERFOR) urged people and their pets to avoid contact with sea lions and sea birds on the beach.

The authorities in Peru culled 37,000 birds on a chicken farm over bird flu in December.

Killing infected birds is part of the usual protocol to control avian influenza outbreaks.&nbsp;In November, the country declared a 180-day health alert after finding three cases of highly contagious H5N1 in pelicans.&nbsp;According to the SENASA agricultural health agency, the disease is transmitted by migratory birds from North America.

Since late 2021, Europe has been gripped by its worst-ever outbreak of bird flu, while North and South America are also experiencing severe outbreaks.

It is rare that bird flu jumps over into mammals -- and rarer still that humans catch the potentially deadly virus.

(With inputs from agencies)

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Peru on Tuesday (February 7) said that H5N1 bird flu virus has caused the death of 585 sea lions and 55,000 wild birds in recent weeks. This has been mentioned in the country's latest report on the disease's impact.

Peru on Tuesday (February 7) said that H5N1 bird flu virus has caused the death of 585 sea lions and 55,000 wild birds in recent weeks. This has been mentioned in the country's latest report on the disease's impact. Following the discovery of 55,000 dead birds in eight protected coastal areas, rangers found the bird flu that killed them had also claimed 585 sea lions in seven protected marine areas, the Sernanp natural areas protection agency said. The agency further said that the dead birds include pelicans, various types of gulls and penguins. Presence of H5N1 in dead sea lions, confirmed by laboratory tests has led authorities to announce a "biological vigilance protocol." For its part, Peru's National Forest and Wildlife Service (SERFOR) urged people and their pets to avoid contact with sea lions and sea birds on the beach. The authorities in Peru culled 37,000 birds on a chicken farm over bird flu in December. Killing infected birds is part of the usual protocol to control avian influenza outbreaks. In November, the country declared a 180-day health alert after finding three cases of highly contagious H5N1 in pelicans. According to the SENASA agricultural health agency, the disease is transmitted by migratory birds from North America. Since late 2021, Europe has been gripped by its worst-ever outbreak of bird flu, while North and South America are also experiencing severe outbreaks. It is rare that bird flu jumps over into mammals -- and rarer still that humans catch the potentially deadly virus. (With inputs from agencies) You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

Peru: Over five hundred sea lions, 55,000 pelicans, gulls and penguins die due to bird flu

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US providing frequent updates on bird flu outbreak: WHO

FDA traces fragments of bird flu virus in pasteurised milk, detailed report awaited

Peru: Over five hundred sea lions, 55,000 pelicans, gulls and penguins die due to bird flu