A global bird flu outbreak has claimed the lives of dozens of tigers in Vietnam and has now spread to humans in the US, raising concerns about the potential for wider transmission.
A Reuters report said dozens of tigers and lions in captivity had died in Vietnam in the past month. Twenty tigers had died at one resort and 27 tigers and three lions at another.
Two dead tigers had tested positive for the H5N1 strain of bird flu. They had fed on chicken which may have been infected, the country’s health ministry said.
Reuters said the spread of bird flu to mammals worldwide – including cows, dogs, cats and dolphins – had raised concerns about potential human-to-human transmission.
A Bloomberg report in the Daily Maverick said the bird flu outbreak in cattle in the United States has now spread to California.
The state has identified its first two human cases of bird flu in farm workers exposed to sick cows.
This comes amid a nationwide bird flu outbreak that has spread through cattle and poultry. California, the largest milk producer in the country, is one of 14 states that’s identified sick herds of dairy cattle. H5N1 was first identified in California cows in August.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said the two people had experienced only mild symptoms. The CDC has identified 16 human cases of bird flu in the US, but says the risk of infection to the general public remains low.
