The global scientific community is seriously concerned regarding the scale of bird flu spread. As reported by MSK1.RU, the dangerous H5N1 strain has gotten out of hand, encompassing all six continents, including Antarctica, and has turned into a worldwide menace.
Professor Ed Hutchinson from the University of Glasgow stated that effective ways of containing the illness in the wild currently simply do not exist. Particularly worrying statistics arrive from the USA, where the virus has affected over 1000 dairy farms. Traces of the pathogen are even found in milk: although pasteurization destroys the virus, farm workers and consumers of unpasteurized product run a risk of infection.
Russian epidemiologists share the apprehensions of their colleagues, pointing to the absence of immunity to the novel strains. Virologist Elena Malinnikova recalls that the lethality of H5N1 can reach 48%. The bleakest prediction comes from Indian scientists: their model showed that as soon as the number of infected people surpasses 10 individuals, halting a global epidemic will become unachievable.
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