The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday reassured that the risk of human infection from H5N1 avian influenza remains low for the general public despite 76 cases reported globally in 2024.
However, there is a heightened risk for farm workers and others exposed to infected animals, warned Maria Van Kerkhove, the acting director for epidemic and pandemic threat management at WHO, speaking at a UN briefing in Geneva.
Van Kerkhove said that the majority of this year's cases occurred in farm workers, with the U.S. reporting 61 infections amid outbreaks in wildlife, poultry, and more recently, dairy cattle.
"While there is much attention on the avian influenza situation in the U.S., this year, cases have also been reported from Australia, Canada, China, Cambodia, and Vietnam," she stated.
WHO assesses the overall public health risk to be low, but for occupationally exposed individuals, including farm workers, the risk is considered "low-to-moderate," she said.
She added that the level of risk depends on mitigation measures in place, such as the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), including masks, gloves, boots, and eye protection.
Van Kerkhove emphasized that the H5N1 virus remains avian in nature and has not adapted to spread between humans.
"Thus far, among these cases, there has been no reported or identified human-to-human transmission," she said, citing epidemiological and virological investigations.
However, she cautioned that the virus is evolving, and thorough investigations must follow every human case to detect any possible transmission.
Addressing the concerns over food safety amid H5N1 outbreaks in dairy cattle, she said that cows infected with the virus have been found to carry high viral loads in their milk.
"It is important to reiterate our longstanding advice to consume pasteurized milk. If pasteurized milk isn't available, heating milk until it boils also makes it safe for consumption," she advised, adding that meat and eggs should also be thoroughly cooked in areas affected by avian influenza outbreaks.
