‘Ramp up diagnostic techniques or risk Avian flu spill-over’

Assistant Professor at Warwick University Dr Nicole Robb said current levels of the H5N1 virus in UK bird populations were high and no longer followed established seasonal trends that have traditionally seen falls in spring and summer.

She commented: “As the global population grows, humans are moving into previously uninhabited areas, meaning more humans come into contact with wildlife which increases the risk.

“The more this virus circulates in birds, the more it crosses over to other animals and is likely to adapt and crossover into humans.” 

She noted that bird to human transmission has previously been associated with high fatality rates and that the outbreak frequency of pandemics in the last 100 years has “accelerated significantly over the last 20 years.”

Pictura Bio – created by Robb with Oxford University scientist Nicholas Shiaelis  – uses artificial intelligence trained to recognise all known pathogens and detect human strains of influenza. The company now wants to develop this capability to identify new strains of the H5N1 virus using AI facial recognition to achieve responses within minutes. 

The key to tackling outbreaks was rapid testing, diagnosis and containment, insisted Robb. This required greater exploitation of advanced technology and artifical intelligence to improve diagnostics.

At the same time it also needed a move from centralised lab testing towards more dispersed community settings such as pharmacies –  an approach employed to good effect during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Said Robb: “The good news is, unlike when COVID-19 emerged, H5N1 has been around for 20 years so we already have tests and vaccines.

“If Avian flu begins to spread more widely, this technology will provide results much more quickly. It will also give people the power to test themselves at home and relieve the strain on medics and our healthcaresystem.”