WHO alarmed over rising bird flu cases

The World Health Organization said the rising number of bird flu cases has raised "great concern "because it had an "extremely high "mortality rate among those who had been infected around the world.

The WHO's data showed that from 2003 through March 2024, a total of 889 worldwide human cases of H5N1 infection had been recorded in 23 countries, resulting in 463 deaths and a 52 percent mortality rate. The majority of deaths occurred in Southeast Asian countries and Egypt.

The most recent death was in Vietnam in late March, when a 21-year-old male without underlying conditions died of the infection after bird hunting. So far, cases in Europe and the United States have been mild.