Experts Warn Public to Prepare for Potential Bird Flu Pandemic
Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations experts warned of the potential for bird flu to become a pandemic event if officials don’t prepare quickly.
The H5N1 (bird flu) virus has proven its ability to cause severe infections in humans and experts are now warning of the possibility for the current US outbreak to reach pandemic levels if the public is not prepared.
“The H5N1 virus has crossed species and adapted to mammalian hosts, including dairy cattle, causing widespread exposure and sporadic human illness,” wrote authors of the warning letter published in Science.1 “Although most cases have been mild, H5N1 can cause severe disease. Given H5N1’s potential to spread, urgent action is needed to address pandemic preparedness gaps.”
The very first human case of bird flu was detected back in 2022 when a poultry worker in Colorado reported conjunctivitis. That person recovered easily and human cases were not reported again until 2024.2 Over the past year, however, cases amongst humans have gradually increased, with the first bird flu-related human death occurring earlier this year.
Experts with public health, pandemic preparedness, immunization, and infectious disease backgrounds have collaborated to slow the spread. | image credit: Bolbot Visuals / stock.adobe.com
READ MORE: USDA Outlines Plan to Stop Bird Flu Outbreak, Lower Egg Prices
Since then, experts with public health, pandemic preparedness, immunization, and infectious disease backgrounds have collaborated to slow the spread and ultimately stop the current bird flu outbreak.
While the key catalyst for a nationwide pandemic would be human-to-human transmission of the virus, none of these occurrences have been reported. With CDC relaying that the current public health risk is deemed “low,”2 experts are not calling for pandemic-level provisions and shutdowns like those of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, they are indeed using lessons from previous pandemics to keep the population as proactively safe as possible.
“Pandemic preparedness initiatives should be urgently resourced and implemented,” they continued.1 “Enhancing readiness now can save lives and reduce societal and economic disruption if H5N1 or another outbreak becomes a pandemic.”
The letter, written by experts from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), addressed no specific individual or organization. Rather, the group addressed the slowly rising issue of bird flu in the US and attempted to provide a plan to stop the virus’ chances of evolving.
They offered 3 key recommendations for groups to consider:
“Health authorities should establish a program involving industry, governments, regulators, and the scientific community to develop rapidly scalable pandemic flu vaccines, tests, and treatments—with equitable access supported by a funded global framework,” wrote CEPI authors recapping the letter.3 “A comprehensive public communications program should be initiated to address misinformation and hesitancy about vaccines; and governments should develop and transparently stress-test pandemic response plans to deal with a range of different disease scenarios and immunization strategies.”
Featuring action plans that tackle no specific aspect of the bird flu outbreak, experts have suggested these efforts in order to avoid mass illness, death, and hospitalization similar to what public health experts saw during COVID-19. These recommendations focus on the equipment and medications most likely needed to stop a pandemic, the organizations that need to be involved, and the education and planning needed in order for the public to stay as protected as possible.
In the meantime, as experts continue to make their attempts at quelling the public’s bird flu concerns, they too are providing as much information to stay as proactively safe as possible. Human case numbers currently stand at 70 as more is being done daily to address the virus from the smallest of poultry farms to the rest of the world.
The letter authors concluded by addressing the importance of collaborative pandemic response plans across multiple countries and states.
“Finally, pandemic response plans should undergo transparent in-depth testing, during which countries should share plans and playbooks and form global collaborations that incorporate different disease scenarios and immunization strategies,” they concluded.1
READ MORE: Infectious Disease Resource Center
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