This year’s bird flu season is shaping up to be a tough one.
In Poland, mythical cases of illness among cats have been traced to bird flu – and in Sweden, SVA urges to keep dogs away from dead birds.
– It spreads, and it spreads quickly, says infection expert Björn Olsen.
In Poland, veterinarians have been alerted after several cats became mysteriously ill, reports Notes from Poland. Sampling has later shown that several cats have been confirmed to be infected with bird flu. According to BNO News, it is about 16 cats.
Previously, there were only a few confirmed cases of bird flu in cats globally.
Large outbreaks in Sweden
In Sweden, there are several confirmed outbreaks of bird flu. According to Björn Olsen, professor of infectious diseases, it looks like it will be a difficult year. As recently as yesterday, bird flu was confirmed among laying hens at a facility on Gotland.
– The distribution is enormous, it is found pretty much along all the coasts in Sweden. It’s spreading, and it’s spreading fast, he says.
Bird flu can spread to cats, dogs and, in rare cases, to humans.
– Felines are sensitive to bird flu. If you are a cat owner and live in an area with bird flu, I would recommend keeping the cat indoors, he says.
Increases the risk to humans
If bird flu continues to spread, the risk of pets becoming infected increases, which in turn can infect humans.
– The longer it is allowed to circulate and encounter more animal species, the greater the risk that it can transfer to humans, says Björn Olsen.
SVA: Has contact with Poland
The state’s veterinary medical institution has previously urged to keep dogs away from dead birds, and recommends keeping dogs on a leash in areas where outbreaks have been confirmed.
In Sweden, there are no confirmed cases of bird flu in dogs and cats, according to the Swedish SVA, which closely follows the development of events in Poland.
– We are in contact with Poland, but we do not know exactly what has happened, or what type of virus it is, says Karl Ståhl, state epizootologist at SVA.
Bird flu facts
In Sweden, it is bird flu of the H5N1 type that dominates, it is also the type that was discovered among cats in Poland. There are also several variants of the type H5N1.
Influenza A(H5N1) (highly pathogenic avian influenza virus) was first detected in humans in 1997. It has caused large outbreaks in birds, with poultry having a high mortality rate. Since 2003, roughly 860 people in 16 different countries (mainly Southeast Asia and Egypt) have contracted the disease, of which 53 percent have died (November 2021).
Source: Public Health Agency