Bird Flu Strain Just Made a Worrisome Shift

By Rob Lenihan World Health Organization warns of need to closely monitor cases of disease. The head of the World Health Organization called for preparation in response to recent reports of H5N1 bird flu spreading to mammals. WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that over the past few weeks there have been several reports of mammals including minks otters foxes and sea lions being infected with H5N1 avian influenza. “H5N1 has spread widely in wild birds and poultry for 25 years but the recent spillover to mammals needs to be monitored closely,” he said. “For the moment WHO asse…