WHO Alert: Bird Flu Is Killing House Cats Across Poland

Bloomberg News reports:

An unusual number of cats are dying across Poland, and authorities found more than half of those tested harbored the worrisome strain of bird flu known as H5N1, the World Health Organization said.

Of 47 samples tested — including one wild feline in captivity — 29 were positive for the H5N1 flu, marking the first report of “high numbers of infected cats over a wide geographical area within a country,” the WHO said in a statement.

The United Nations agency was notified by local health authorities amid concern that the flu strain found in birds could combine with one that is able to circulate in humans, resulting in a new version that transmits easily enough to spark a pandemic.

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An unusual number of cats are dying across Poland, and authorities found more than half of those tested harbored the worrisome strain of bird flu known as H5N1, the WHO says https://t.co/jmFi6ze7Ak

— Bloomberg (@business) July 17, 2023