In accordance with the GIDEON database of infectious illnesses, the primary recorded instances of fowl flu in people have been from Hong Kong in 1997. There have been 18 instances, of which six have been deadly. From 2003 to 2016, the World Well being Group (WHO) recorded 850 infections from the H5N1 fowl flu subtype.
This quantity might not appear excessive in comparison with different illnesses, however greater than half of the contaminated people died. Nearly all of human deaths from the fowl flu throughout this time have been recorded in Egypt, Indonesia, and Vietnam.
2003: 1000’s of chickens have been culled within the Netherlands throughout an avian influenza outbreak by an H7N7 pressure. One human loss of life was reported.
2013: Dozens of H7N7-related human deaths have been recorded in China.
2014: Within the Americas, the primary human an infection with HPAI H5N1 was in Canada.
2020-2025: International Multi-Nation Outbreak
Since 2020, a serious H5N1 outbreak has affected a number of international locations throughout each continent besides Australia. The outbreak includes primarily H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b, which first unfold throughout Europe in autumn 2020 earlier than spreading to Africa and Asia. In February 2022, america reported its first HPAI H5N1 detection in business poultry since 2020, marking the start of widespread outbreaks in North America.
Between December 2023 and March 2024, HPAI A(H5) outbreaks have been reported in home (227) and wild (414) birds throughout 26 international locations in Europe. The outbreak has additionally affected mammals, with H5N1 detected in over 50 mammal species, together with seals, sea lions, and foxes. In December 2023, HPAI A(H5N1) virus infections have been reported in elephant and fur seals within the Antarctic, marking the primary time the virus reached each polar areas.
2023-2025: Cambodia Outbreak
Cambodia skilled a resurgence of human H5N1 instances starting in February 2023, after almost a decade with out reported human instances.
Between January and July 2025, Cambodian well being authorities reported 12 laboratory-confirmed instances of human an infection with avian influenza A(H5N1), together with 6 fatalities.
Since 2023, Cambodia has reported 28 human instances whole, with a case fatality charge of roughly 43%.
All human instances have been linked to direct contact with contaminated or lifeless poultry, with no proof of sustained human-to-human transmission.
Â
