As viruses spread globally. lack of coordinated monitoring in Pakistan increases the threat to wildlife, humans
A person holds a test tube labeled “Bird flu,” in this photo illustration January 14, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/PHOTO:REUTERS
Highly pathogenic avian influenza A is emerging as a major global threat to wildlife, ecosystems and human health. Experts warn that Pakistan lacks the institutional and scientific capacity required to monitor, assess and respond to the virus.
The warning comes amid rising wildlife mortality worldwide and the continued global spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza A (HPAI H5) viruses, raising serious concerns One Health – an integrated approach to health that emphasizes the link between animal health and the environment they exist in – linking wildlife, livestock and people.
According to the World Organization for Animal Health, the HPAI H5 virus has spread across several continents since 2021 and now affects a wide range of bird and mammal species.
During 2025, Europe recorded unusually high HPAI activity during the wild bird migration season, with diagnosed cases reported to be four times higher than in 2024. In Germany alone, more than 20,000 cranes were reported dead. The virus has also been confirmed in birds and mammals in North America and parts of the South Atlantic region.
Global experts say such large mortality events contribute to population decline, disruption of breeding cycles and long-term ecological imbalance. The increasing transmission of the virus to mammalian populations has further heightened concerns about the potential for cross-species transmission.
In this global context, the head of the Department of Zoology at Punjab University, Dr. Zulfiqar Ali, Pakistan’s situation as alarming. He said the country is seriously lagging in its ability to respond to emerging wildlife crises and has no organized, coordinated or adequately resourced system to monitor HPAI in wild birds and mammals.
Dr. Zulfiqar Ali said neither the Ministry of Climate Change nor the provincial wildlife and livestock departments have specialized diagnostic laboratories, genomic sequencing facilities or trained wildlife health experts. As a result, timely detection, confirmation and reporting of wildlife diseases remains largely impossible.
He added that disease surveillance in Pakistan is mostly limited to the poultry sector, while scientific data on wildlife health is almost non-existent. He warned that this gap significantly increases the risk of disease transmission between wildlife, livestock and humans.
He further highlighted the country’s lack of standardized mechanisms for examining wildlife carcasses, biosecurity protocols for field personnel, and real-time data sharing between federal and provincial institutions, weaknesses that render Pakistan unable to contribute meaningfully to regional and global HPAI reporting and research efforts.
According to Dr. Ali Pakistan also lies along the flyways of major migratory birds and hosts ecologically significant wetlands, river deltas and coastal ecosystems. In the absence of a robust framework for animal health, the country faces serious risks to biodiversity, public health and the economy, he says.
Former Veterinary Officer of Lahore Zoo, Dr. Babar Saleem, said HPAI is spreading globally and poses significant risks to wildlife, poultry and potentially human health. He explained that migratory birds act as key carriers and transmit the virus across countries and continents.
Dr. Saleem said birds of prey and certain zoo animals are also vulnerable, leading to dangerous disruptions in wildlife ecosystems. He warned that the virus can spread from wildlife to domestic poultry, where outbreaks can cause extremely high mortality.
He added that poultry outbreaks could disrupt food supply chains and push up meat prices. Limited human cases have already been reported globally, while recent detections of the virus in livestock have raised concerns about viral adaptation and the potential for a wider pandemic.
Dr. Saleem said there is currently no effective treatment or vaccine for HPAI. In severe outbreaks, culling affected birds or poultry farms remains the most effective measure to prevent further spread to animals and humans, he said.
Experts stress that without urgent investment in surveillance, diagnostics and wildlife health, Pakistan will remain highly vulnerable to the growing global threat posed by HPAI.
