The danger of Israel’s bird flu outbreak jumping to humans is real and “very concerning,” according to a top epidemiologist. Prof. Amnon Lahad, chairman of Israel’s National Council for Community Health, told The Times of Israel that he is tracking the avian outbreak, which has killed thousands of wild birds.
“The widespread nature of the avian flu is very concerning, especially given that it is infecting chickens and not just wild birds. It’s made the move from wildlife to stock animals, and I’m hoping it won’t make the next step to humans,” he said Wednesday.
The danger of Israel’s bird flu outbreak jumping to humans is real and “very concerning,” according to a top epidemiologist. Prof. Amnon Lahad, chairman of Israel’s National Council for Community Health, told The Times of Israel that he is tracking the avian outbreak, which has killed thousands of wild birds.
“The widespread nature of the avian flu is very concerning, especially given that it is infecting chickens and not just wild birds. It’s made the move from wildlife to stock animals, and I’m hoping it won’t make the next step to humans,” he said Wednesday.
In terms of transmission method, humans are “highly unlikely” to catch bird flu from eating infected chicken or eggs that come from an infected bird, said Lahad. This is because influenza, like the coronavirus, normally enters the body through the respiratory tract, not the gut.
However, Lahad warned, “it could be transmitted through contact with sick birds — not from touching or eating them, but rather through the same method we know from COVID, namely droplets passing into the respiratory system,” he said. READ MORE
