Avian influenza has spread across the world like never before in the last few years, leading to the mass culling of poultry, sending egg prices soaring and causing the deaths of several people in contact with infected animals.
The number of mammal outbreaks soared to 1,022 across 55 countries last year, compared to 459 in 2023, according to the Paris-based agency, which monitors animal diseases worldwide.
Health experts have been sounding the alarm about the potential pandemic threat posed by bird flu, which has shown signs of mutating as it spreads in particular among dairy cows in the United States.
This included the sacking earlier this year of the staff of an epidemiology programme known as the “disease detectives”.
Bird flu “is more than an animal health crisis -- it is a global emergency destabilising agriculture, food security, trade and ecosystems,“ the report warned.
Wild birds have also suffered mass die-offs, although the exact number is difficult to estimate.
It cited the example of France, which started vaccinating poultry ducks against bird flu in 2023.
Soubeyran said this was a “win-win” because it reduced exposure to humans -- and meant there were more poultry products available for export.
Biosecurity, surveillance, increased transparency and global collaboration are also important tools to fight off the threat of bird flu, Soubeyran added, calling for more investment in these areas.
Last month Mexico reported its first human death from bird flu, a three-year-old girl.
Nearly 50 percent of bird flu infections have historically proved fatal, according to the World Health Organization.
The WOAH report also warned more broadly about the rising danger of animal diseases crossing over into humans as climate change pushes species into new areas.
Another danger is the increasing resistance some diseases are having to antibiotics, which is “one of the greatest threats to global health, food security and economic stability”, the report said.
Europe saw the biggest decline -- 23 percent, it added, calling for further reductions.
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