the pandemic threat of an avian influenza virus: an overview

The worst pandemic in modern history occurred during the 1918 h1n1 spanish influenza epidemic. two additional instances of influenza a(h5n1) viral infection in humans have been disclosed to who in the west pacific zone between july 12 and july 18, 2024. merely three ha subtypes, namely h5, h7, and h9, have been identified and observed in domestic fowl across extensive geographic regions. the asian h7n9 virus and the recently discovered avian-origin h5 a/goose/guangdong/1/1996 (gsgd) virus have infected hundreds of humans and killed many of them. although these infectious diseases have not expanded beyond affected individuals, they will start a pandemic if they develop the capacity to travel effectively from person to person, especially through the air. thus, the focus of this analysis is on the characteristics of the asian h7n9 and h5 gsgd viruses that facilitate airborne transmission and have recently resulted in zoonotic illnesses. three waves of outbreaks of influenza have occurred across many continents due to the h5 influenza viruses, which migratory wild birds carry. the third wave of influenza outbreaks began in 2020 and is still underway. china, which produces the majority of the world’s poultry, lost very few animals throughout the three phases of h5 avian influenza epidemics and almost completely eradicated the widespread h7n9 viruses that surfaced in 2013. diverse nations have implemented distinct approaches to manage highly virulent avian influenza. while some countries, like china, have chosen a cull plus vaccination approach, many european  and north america countries control highly virulent influenza by culling diseased and suspected birds (also known as the stamping-out technique). this paper provides an overview of the avian influenza virus, its management measures, and potential problems associated with an epidemic.