Scientists continue to monitor the ongoing global avian influenza outbreak — also referred to as bird flu — that has killed millions of birds and has now crossed over to some species of mammals. Currently, the risk to humans remains low; however, sporadic human infections with bird flu viruses have occurred.

"Rarely, we see crossover from birds into humans, with the current circulating strain of avian influenza causing a large outbreak among wild birds and poultry. We have seen only about 10 human cases worldwide since December 2021," says Dr. Matthew Binnicker director of the Clinical Virology Laboratory at Mayo Clinic.

"The reason why the latest avian influenza outbreak is being watched so carefully is because of the sheer number of birds that have been affected during this latest outbreak," says Dr. Binnicker. "There's been almost 60 million poultry affected by the current avian influenza outbreak. Wild birds and — somewhat concerning — wild mammals, including fox, mink and bears, have been infected with this avian influenza strain."

Dr. Binnicker says the reason it could be concerning is because it indicates the virus is adapting to become more efficient at infecting mammalian cells, which more closely resemble human cells.
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