EU launches ‘pre-pandemic’ plan to stop bird flu jumping to humans

Although there have not yet been any human cases reported in Europe, the ECDC said that the wide circulation of the virus in animals puts European people at an elevated risk.

“The persistent global circulation of avian influenza viruses – particularly H5N1 – among wild birds, poultry, and increasingly mammals, raises concern about the risk of zoonotic spillover,” the ECDC plan, seen by The Telegraph, states.

The document outlines a series of scenarios that could play out as H5N1 continues among animals in Europe – and what measures should be taken if they emerge.

These range from Scenario 1 (isolated human cases with known exposure to infected animals, as has already occurred in Britain and the US) to Scenario 14 (clusters of human-to-human transmission with no identifiable animal source).

Dr Ajibola Omokanye, a flu expert at the ECDC and one of the plan’s authors, told The Telegraph: “This is about having all the tools and capabilities in place so that … we are well prepared and have a common strategy, and not addressing the situation only when it emerges.”