Scientists have warned that if the bird flu virus—currently circulating among wild birds, farm poultry, and mammals—mutates to spread efficiently between humans, it could create a situation even more catastrophic than the Covid-19 pandemic. This caution was issued by the head of the Respiratory Infections Center at France’s Pasteur Institute, as reported by Reuters.
Marie-Anne Rameix-Velti, Medical Director at the Pasteur Institute, said, “Our concern is that the virus could adapt within mammals—especially humans—and gain the ability for human-to-human transmission. If that happens, it could become a pandemic-causing virus.”
She added, “A bird flu pandemic would likely be very severe. Possibly worse than the Covid pandemic we experienced.”
Highly contagious avian influenza, or bird flu, has led to the culling of millions of birds in recent years. This has disrupted the food supply system and driven up global prices.
Rameix-Velti noted that humans have antibodies against H1 and H3 types of flu, but the currently circulating H5 strain has no existing immunity in humans—similar to the early days of Covid-19.
She further explained that Covid-19 mainly affected vulnerable populations, but influenza viruses can be fatal even for healthy individuals and children.
Historically, numerous cases of H5-type bird flu infections have occurred in humans, usually through close contact with infected animals. This month, the United States reported its first case of H5N5 infection in Washington state. The patient, who had underlying health issues, died last week.
According to the WHO’s latest bird flu report, around one thousand human infections have been detected globally between 2003 and 2025—mostly in Egypt, Indonesia, and Vietnam. Among these cases, 48% resulted in death.
However, Gregorio Torres, head of the science division at the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), told Reuters that the risk of a human pandemic remains low.
“We must stay prepared,” he said. “But for now, you can safely walk in the forest, eat poultry and eggs, and enjoy life. A pandemic is a possibility, but the likelihood is still very low.”
Meanwhile, Rameix-Velti stated that even if bird flu does mutate to spread among humans, the world is far better prepared today than before Covid.
She added that there are advantages with influenza: “We already have influenza-specific defense systems. Vaccines exist, and we have the capacity to produce them quickly.”
She also said that there are stockpiles of specific antivirals that are effective against this avian influenza virus.
