India, Jan. 13 -- The H5N1 bird flu virus is just one mutation away from human-to-human transmission.

With 992 human cases reported since 2003, nearly half have been fatal.

Scientists warn of its pandemic potential.

Five years since the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 was detected in 2020, it continues to spread in wide geographic ranges, impacting poultry, wild birds and cattle.

As the panzootic event among the animals enters its sixth year, scientists warn the current strain of bird flu is increasingly infecting a large number of animals.

Globally, from January 1, 2003 to November 5, 2025, some 992 cases of human infections with avian influenza A (H5N1) virus were reported from 25 countries, according to the World Hea...