THE world could be on the brink of a “disastrous” bird flu outbreak, a top epidemiologist has warned.
This month, a teenager in Canada tested positive for a mutated version of the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus that may be more transmissible to humans.
“This is what happens just before we have major pandemics,” Prof Chris Dye from Oxford University told Sun Health.
“Sometimes it fizzles out, but sometimes it explodes because pathogens find unexpected ways to survive and spread.”
The teenager, Canada’s first presumed human case of H5N1, was previously healthy with no underlying conditions.
They developed symptoms on November 2 and were admitted to intensive care in British Columbia on November 8.
While the patient is believed to have had no contact with farms, they were …