News Health & Medicine

Bird flu can jump to mammals. Should we worry?

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

By Erin Garcia de Jesús

An uncomfortable truth is that there is another influenza pandemic in humankind’s future.