HHS Expands Emergency Declaration as UN Calls for Urgent Action on H5N6 Bird Flu in Asia-Pacific

Jul 25, 2024, 05:00 PM

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has broadened its emergency declaration to facilitate responses to bird flu and other viruses with pandemic potential. The United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has called for urgent regional efforts to combat the rise in avian influenza cases across the Asia-Pacific region. The FAO described the situation as 'alarming' and stressed the need for immediate action. A recent case involves a Chinese woman who died of H5N6 bird flu, underscoring the severity of the outbreak in the Asia-Pacific.