Climate change is helping the H5N1 bird flu virus spread and evolve

Climate change is helping the H5N1 bird flu virus spread and evolve H5N1 is the latest evidence that climate change is altering how viruses spread and evolve. It is essential that global public health officials take these dynamics into account. The Conversation

... evidence indicates that climate change seems to be impacting the emergence of zoonotic viruses like H5N1. As global climate conditions change, avian migratory patterns and routes are also changing. Higher temperatures and extreme weather has resulted in large-scale population shifts in a range of temperate species. These changes have led to diseases emerging in areas — and in genetic configurations — entirely unique and unprecedented.

H5N1 is a clear indication that disease monitoring and response efforts are an essential part of any climate change adaptation and mitigation strategy. ...

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