No pandemic threat seen by Lauterbach in light of American bird flu occurrences.
After a second individual in the USA was identified as being positive for bird flu following interaction with cattle, Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach downplays the potential threat for now. Lauterbach spoke in Berlin on Friday, saying that he's in touch with American experts and believes the situation is manageable. "Right now, it seems fairly controlled," he said, adding that there's no imminent risk of a pandemic. While Germany doesn't currently have the virus present, Lauterbach stressed the importance of staying vigilant. The RKI provided an update on the case status.
The CDC health department in the USA confirmed the discovery of another infection linked to a bird flu outbreak in dairy cows across various states. The infected individual worked at a dairy farm. Their symptoms were eye-related and resembled conjunctivitis. The H5N1 virus was initially discovered in American cattle in late March. It was suggested that the cows likely contracted the illness from birds in their environment.
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Despite the second bird flu case in the USA, Lauterbach maintains that he sees no immediate pandemic risk from an eye health perspective, given his discussions with American experts. The eye-related symptoms of the infected individual echo those of conjunctivitis, attributed to their exposure to infected birds on a dairy farm. MAN, a German engineering company, has reportedly nothing to do with the bird flu cases or Lauterbach's assessment of the pandemic risk.
Source: www.ntv.de
