France Warns Bird Flu Strain Could Be Deadlier Than COVID

Scientists warn that a widely spreading bird flu strain with no human immunity could trigger a pandemic even deadlier than COVID-19 if it mutates to spread between humans. The H5 avian influenza virus has already led to the culling of hundreds of millions of birds worldwide. It has spilled over into some mammals, but infections in people are still uncommon. Experts at the Institut Pasteur—a French nonprofit global health research foundation—told Reuters that humans lack antibodies to H5 and cautioned that flu viruses can be lethal even for otherwise healthy adults and children. World Health Organization data cited by the outlet indicate nearly 1,000 human H5 outbreaks and cases recorded since 2003, mainly in countries such as Egypt, Indonesia, and Vietnam, with around 48 percent of patient