How has this new strain of AI affected humans so far? What is the bird flu affect on humans?
Since 2003 until present, the cumulative number of confirmed human cases of Avian Influenza A/(H5N1) reported to WHO (laboratory-confirmed cases only) has been 274 people in 11 countries, and of those 274, 167 have died from the virus. So far, there has been no sustained person-to-person transmission of the HPAI H5N1 virus. Most of the people who have been infected with the HPAI H5N1 virus have acquired it through direct handling of infected poultry, eating uncooked or undercooked poultry products, or through contact with virus-contaminated surfaces or materials, including blood and feces. There are no documented cases of human H5N1 disease resulting from contact with wild birds. Public health organizations, such as the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are concerned that the virus could mutate into a human virus that would be more easily transmissible from person-to-person. This change could pose a global influenza pandemic threat.
