Polish cats aren't the only ones getting sick from bird flu

According to the WHO, this is the first time so many cats have been infected with bird flu over such a large area in one country. The organization says Polish authorities have reported a high mortality rate among cats in 13 different provinces, where more than 45 have died. Tests conducted last week confirmed the presence of the H5N1 virus in 29 of them.

Since June, a new version of the H5N1 virus has been identified in birds and other animals in Asia, Africa, Europe and America. WHO reports that more than a dozen human cases of infection have been reported since 2020. Scientists are concerned that the increase in H5N1 cases, especially in animals that come into frequent contact with humans, could lead to a mutated version of the virus that could easily transmit between humans, triggering another pandemic. Before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, many experts suspected that H5N1 could be the cause of the next global outbreak. Although bird flu has caused the deaths of hundreds of millions of birds worldwide, the number of human cases since 2003 is roughly 900.

WHO stresses that it is not yet clear how domestic cats in Poland were infected with bird flu. Investigations are underway to determine possible sources of infection, including contact with wild birds that carried H5N1. The agency says the risk of avian influenza infection for humans in Poland is low, and for those in contact with cats, including cat owners and veterinarians, is moderately low. The World Health Organization notes, however, the alarming increase in the number of mammals infected with H5N1. Previously, experts have warned that pigs, which are susceptible to influenza viruses from both humans and birds, could act as a kind of "link" and contribute to the emergence of mutant viruses that can be fatal to humans.

For the past year, a number of countries have reported avian influenza in mammals, including farmed mink in Spain, seals in the U.S. and sea lions in Peru and Chile.