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Update on H5N1: WHO
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Edited News | WHO

Update on H5N1: WHO

ENG FRA
Despite concerns, current public health risk posed by avian influenza A (H5N1) deemed low by WHO
While there is a risk of the H5N1 avian flu virus spreading to cows in countries other than the United States via migratory birds, the overall public health risk posed by the H5N1 virus is currently “low," the U.N. World Health Agency (WHO) said on Tuesday.
"We assessed the current overall public health risk posed by the H5N1 to be low,” said Dr. Wenqing Zhang, Head of WHO’s Global Influenza Programme, during a news briefing at the United Nations in Geneva.
“For those exposed to infected birds or animals or contaminated environments, the risk of infection is considered low to moderate. It's important to note that influenza viruses evolve, posing ongoing risks,” Dr. Zhang added. Dr. Zhang highlighted the unique aspect of the current situation, saying that “this was the first time that the virus was detected in calves, in the past this virus was detected in birds. And, of course, since last year, this virus was also detected in certain mammals.”
As the virus is carried around the world by migratory birds, "there is certainly a risk that cows from other countries could be infected," the WHO official said. While the virus has been detected in dairy cattle in the U.S., Dr. Zhang stressed the need to ascertain whether cow-to-cow transmission has occurred.
There are “many migratory birds, so they are traveling around the world and carrying viruses”, Dr. Zhang explained. “Certainly, there is a risk also spreading the virus to other regions itself. And also, because at the moment it is not clear how actually cow-to-cow, or whether there is cow-to-cow transmission, and how the virus is being transmitted among cows, so there are lot uncertainties.”
“At the moment the H5N1 virus we talked about are detected in dairy cattle in the U.S and only in the U.S.. As of 24th April, the virus was detected in cattle in eight states,” said Dr. Zhang. “I think the figure has slightly increased in the past one week.”
Based on available studies conducted in the United States, virus fragments found in pasteurized milk are not infectious, WHO said, noting that ongoing sampling suggests that raw milk from infected cows may contain live viruses, which may pose a threat, especially to farm workers. Reports so far suggest mild symptoms in one person working on an affected dairy farm in the U.S., who contracted the virus.
U.S. authorities believe that milk sold in stores is "safe" and that pasteurization kills the virus in the milk.. “Those contained in the milk are only virus particles, it is inactivated. There is no infectious power of those materials contained in milk. So it is less likely that the virus will be able to spread through milk itself, based on the information so far,” according to Dr. Zhang.
WHO emphasized the importance of surveillance and information sharing to combat the spread of zoonotic viruses, particularly among agricultural workers. “Surveillance is working,” Dr. Zhang said, emphasising that health authorities in the United States are regularly providing updated information on the evolution of the virus to the global health agency.
-ends-

STORY: Update on A (H5N1) - WHO

TRT: 2:34”

SOURCE: UNTV CH

RESTRICTIONS: NONE

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

ASPECT RATIO: 16:9

DATELINE: 30 April 2024 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

  1. Exterior med shot: UN flag alley
  2. Wide shot: speaker at the podium during press conference
  3. SOUNDBITE (English) – Dr. Wenqing Zhang, Head of WHO’s Global Influenza Programme: “We assessed the current overall public health risk posed by the H5N1 to be low, and for those with exposure to infected birds or animals or contaminated environments, the risk of infection is considered low to moderate. It is important to underline that any influenza virus is evolving, so is a risk associated with the virus.”
  4. Med shot: Camera woman filming
  5. SOUNDBITE (English) – Dr. Wenqing Zhang, Head of WHO’s Global Influenza Programme: “The unique feature of this event, because this was the first time that the virus was detected in calves, in the past this virus was detected in birds. And of course, since last year, this virus was also detected in certain mammals.”
  6. Med shot: journalists in press briefing room
  7. SOUNDBITE (English) – Dr. Wenqing Zhang, Head of WHO’s Global Influenza Programme: “At the moment the H5n1 virus we talked about are detected in dairy cattle in the U.S and only in the U.S. As of 24th April, the virus was detected in cattle in eight states. But I think the figure is slightly increased in the past one week.”
  8. Wide shot: Journalists in the press room
  9. SOUNDBITE (English) – Dr. Wenqing Zhang, Head of WHO’s Global Influenza Programme: “Those contained in the milk are only virus particles, it is inactivated. There is no infectious power of those materials contained in milk. So it is less likely that the virus will be able to spread through milk itself, based on the information so far.”
  10. Med shot, zoom operator behind the window
  11. SOUNDBITE (English) – Dr. Wenqing Zhang, Head of WHO’s Global Influenza Programme: “Many migratory birds, so they are traveling around the world carry viruses. Certainly, there is a risk also spreading the virus to other regions itself. And also because at the moment it is not clear how actually cow to cow, whether there is cow to cow transmission and how it is the virus is being transmitted among cows, so there are lot uncertainties.”
  12. Med shot, journalists listening
  13. Close up, journalist listening
  14. Wide shot, journalists in press room

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As world’s water reserves change, countries must prepare for a new reality: WMO

New data showing that rivers were at their lowest level for decades last year provides further evidence that the climate crisis is real and countries must act immediately to protect themselves from the increasing threat to communities and livelihoods, the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Thursday.  
The key findings from WMO’s State of Global Water Resources 2025 report covering the hydrological cycle and extreme events in the five-year period to last year:

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Highlighting the long-term decline in the Earth’s freshwater storage and glacier melt, WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo explained that the planet’s water reserves used to act as a planetary “savings account” that absorbed the occasional dry season, avoiding a water crisis. “One of the central stories of the 2025 report is what is happening to that savings account? And the simple answer is that we are depleting it,” she told journalists in Geneva.

Groundwater reserves are equally stretched and have been in decline since 2014, WMO’s report states, with nearly two-thirds of monitored wells worldwide showing levels lower than the historical norm and indicating a shift “further toward deficit…not recovery”.
“At the same time, we are seeing more water-related disasters,” Ms. Saulo said, while also stressing that the currently strengthening El Niño “will increase the risk of drought in some areas, and flooding in others”. 
Glaciers disappearing

In 2025, for the fourth consecutive year, every major glaciated region on Earth lost ice mass, leading to short-term hazards including floods and long-term water insecurity, according to WMO.

Responding to a question about whether the changing global water cycle might have contributed to the deadly Nepal-China flooding disaster, Ms. Saulo explained that melting ice and rock was just one factor in the chain of events that ultimately sent a massive and deadly wall of water and debris downstream on 26 August, killing at least 1,367 people.

“You asked if it could happen again? Absolutely; the problem in this region is that there’s 63,700 glaciers at the last count,” she told a Press Conference in Geneva. “Even if you’re looking with remote sensing with satellites at these glaciers, you might see some faults, you might see some slight shifting, that does not mean necessarily catastrophic collapse. So, in order to plan for this, it’s very, very difficult. But the international community is looking very hard at ways in which we can bring people together to solve some of these monitoring issues.”

Data indicates that glaciers shrank between 2023 and 2025 with cumulative losses of 1,400 gigatonnes of water – or about one third of annual fresh water needs.

Every major glacier region on Earth lost ice for the fourth consecutive year.

“All 19 glacier regions around the globe lost ice; in Central Asia, Iceland, the Russian Arctic and western Canada and the United States, it was among the three worst years on record,” said Wayne Jenkinson, WMO’s Director of Hydrology and Cryosphere.

Some regions with smaller glaciers such as Central Europe, the Caucasus, the western Canada and the United States may already have reached “peak water”, Mr. Jenkinson warned.

“After this point, the glacier gives less meltwater each year simply because there is less ice left to melt. That matters for every community downstream that relies on water during hot, dry summers,” he explained.

Narelle van der Wel, WMO’s Head of Cryosphere Monitoring, Predictions and Services, stressed that while some further glacier loss is unavoidable, the eventual scale of the decline is not predetermined.

“Some glacier loss is inevitable, but total loss of glaciers is not yet inevitable,” she said, pointing to emissions reductions as central to limiting future losses.

Preparing for moving baselines

The report does not attribute every observed change to climate change alone. WMO says pressure on water resources and natural variability also contribute.

Mr. Jenkinson said governments need to prepare for “moving baselines” as historical patterns become less reliable.

“The situation 30 years ago is not where we are today,” he said. Countries, he added, need to prepare “for those changes that have really already arrived”.

ends

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