Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on March 24, 2025
3 min readLast updated: January 24, 2026
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Bird flu is spreading to mammals, raising concerns about potential human transmission and a new pandemic risk.
(Reuters) -Highly pathogenic avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, has increasingly spread to mammals and infected hundreds of people, raising concerns that it may lead to human-to-human transmission and turn into a new pandemic.
Cases of the disease in mammals have mostly been detected in the Americas and Europe.
Sheep were added to the list on Monday with the UK government announcing a first case had been detected at a farm in northern England.
Some of the mammals such as dairy cows and sheep are farmed and so interact closely with humans, increasing the threat of transmission, while others have much less contact with people.
Pigs represent a particular concern for the spread of bird flu because they can become co-infected with bird and human viruses, which could swap genes to form a new, more dangerous virus that can more easily infect humans.
Here is a list of the types of mammals, other than humans, in which the virus - which has also infected hundreds of wild and captive bird species - has been detected between 2016 and 2025, according to data gathered by the European Food Safety Authority and U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Each category can include several species.
Updated data is preceded by a star *.
Mammal Country
Alpaca U.S.
Badger Netherlands
Bear Canada, France, U.S.
Beech and pine marten Netherlands, Germany
* Bobcat U.S.
* Canadian lynx U.S.
Caracal Poland
Cat Canada, France, Italy, Korea, U.S.
* Cheetah U.S.
Coati Germany, Uruguay
Cow U.S.
Coyote U.S.
* Crabeater seal Antarctica
Dog Canada, China, Italy
Dolphin Canada, Chile, Peru, UK, U.S.
Domestic pig France, Italy
* Ermine U.S.
* European pine marten Netherlands
Ferret Belgium, Slovenia
Fisher U.S.
Fox Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Ireland,
Italy, Japan, Latvia, Netherlands,
United Kingdom, U.S.
Goat U.S.
Leopard U.S.
Lion Peru
Lynx Finland, U.S.
Mink Canada, Finland, Spain
Mountain lion U.S.
* Mouse U.S.
Opossum U.S.
Otter Chile, Netherlands, Finland, U.S.
* Pig China, Indonesia, U.S.
Polar bear U.S.
Polecat Belgium, Netherlands
Porpoise Chile, Sweden, United Kingdom
Prairie vole U.S.
* Rabbit U.S.
Racoon Canada, U.S.
* Rat U.S.
* Ringed seal Canada
Sable Finland
Sea lion Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru,
Uruguay
* Seal Antarctica, Argentina, Canada,
Denmark, Germany, Netherlands,
Russia, Sweden, United Kingdom, U.S.
Seal (fur) Argentina, Brazil, Peru, Russia,
Uruguay
* Serval U.S.
* Sheep UK
Skunk Canada, U.S.
Squirrel U.S.
* Southern elephant Antarctica
seal
* Stoat U.S.
Tiger U.S.
Wild dog Finland, Japan, UK
(Reporting by Sybille de La Hamaide; editing by David Evans)
The article discusses the spread of bird flu to mammals and the potential risk of human transmission.
Pigs can be co-infected with bird and human viruses, increasing the risk of a new, more dangerous virus.
Infections have been detected in the Americas and Europe, with the UK recently reporting a case in sheep.
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