New bird flu cases in Cyprus have raised the question of whether people are at risk. European and international health bodies say the risk to the general public remains low.
According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), human infections remain rare and there has been no sustained human-to-human transmission. The ECDC puts the risk from the H5N1 virus circulating in Europe at low to moderate for people who come into contact with infected birds, animals or contaminated environments through work or other activities.
Globally, a joint assessment by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), based on data up to March 1, 2026, also rates the public health risk from highly pathogenic A(H5) viruses as low.
In practice, vets, poultry farm workers, people involved in culling or removing infected birds, and anyone who may have direct, unprotected contact with sick or dead birds need to take more care.
Chicken and eggs
Bird flu does not mean consumers need to avoid chicken or eggs. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) says there is no convincing evidence that people can catch bird flu from eating contaminated food. Handling raw meat safely, cooking it thoroughly and following normal kitchen hygiene further reduce any risk.
Symptoms
According to the WHO, bird flu in humans can cause anything from mild flu-like symptoms or conjunctivitis to severe acute respiratory disease and, in some cases, death. Gastrointestinal and neurological symptoms have also been recorded, but more rarely.
Latest figures
Worldwide, 15 human cases of bird flu were reported between June 5 and August 31, 2026. None was fatal, and all the people infected had previously been exposed to poultry or to places where poultry were kept.
In Europe, the ECDC’s latest report, published on September 22, recorded 110 detections of A(H5N1) bird flu in birds across 12 countries between June 5 and August 28, 2026. Of these, 103 were in wild birds and seven in domestic birds.
Pandemic potential
Bird flu remains under close international surveillance because flu viruses circulating in animals can evolve and, under certain conditions, gain pandemic potential. The WHO says there will be new flu pandemics, but it is impossible to predict when they will happen, which virus will cause them or where they will start. A pandemic can emerge when a virus capable of sustained human-to-human transmission appears, against which people have little or no immunity. It is not known whether any bird flu or other zoonotic virus circulating today will cause one. The WHO says this is why surveillance of animals and humans must be stepped up, every human case investigated and preparation for a new pandemic continued.
According to the WHO, H5N1 remains primarily an animal virus. But it is constantly evolving and could potentially gain the ability to spread easily between people, which could mark the start of a new flu pandemic.
H5N1 is also no longer confined to birds. Outside Europe, it is still circulating in birds and has infected various mammal species, and reports of infected dairy cattle farms are continuing in the United States. The ECDC says flu viruses change constantly. Mutations may help them adapt better to mammals, and they can swap genetic material with other flu viruses. In rare circumstances, such changes could produce a new strain that spreads efficiently between people and lead to a pandemic.
