Bird flu can jump to mammals. Should we worry?

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Exposing the Big Game's avatarThe Extinction Chronicles

Wild bears, skunks and sea lions are just some of the mammals infected with H5N1

A photo of a dead pelican laying on a beach in Lima, Peru while a flock of other birds fly in the background.
A deadly version of avian influenza is behind an outbreak in wild birds, including pelicans in Lima, Peru (shown) and domestic poultry. The virus has also been detected in mammals, although there is no evidence of widespread transmission in animals other than birds.ERNESTO BENAVIDES/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

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ByErin Garcia de Jesús

MARCH 6, 2023 AT 9:00 AM

Bird flu can jump to mammals. Should we worry?

An uncomfortable truth is that there is another influenza pandemic in humankind’s future. Whether it will be a relative of the lethal avian flu strain currently wreaking havoc in bird populations around the globe is anyone’s guess.

Because the virus, called H5N1, can be deadly to birds, mammals and people, researchers closely monitor reports of new cases. Worryingly, a…

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