Buffeted by the chaos of COVID-19, the idea of a second pandemic feels far too real. And now, a new global warning from leading virologists is putting that fear back in the spotlight.
Experts from the Global Virus Network (GVN), which includes human and animal virologists from more than 40 countries, say the next pandemic could come from a familiar source: H5N1 avian influenza, more commonly known as the bird flu.
What’s happening with H5N1?
According to the GVN, this strain of bird flu has already jumped from birds into dairy cows and has even shown up in 70 human cases, including one fatality in the U.S.
Even more concerning, the virus has now been detected in all 50 states and Canada.
So far, there’s no confirmed human-to-human transmission, but scientists say the virus is mutating, and the right set of changes could make it far more dangerous.
“The virus’ ability to infect both animals and humans, combined with recent genetic changes, underscores the importance of proactive surveillance and rapid response measures,” said Dr. Sten H. Vermund, chief medical officer of the GVN, in a press release.
What the experts are asking for
The GVN wants governments to start treating this seriously, now. They’re calling for better surveillance in animals (like milk and wastewater testing) and stricter farm protocols (like personal protective equipment for workers). They’re also calling for plans for at-home diagnostic tests in case the virus starts spreading among people.
They’re also pushing for faster genomic data sharing, so researchers across countries can act quickly if something changes, investment in vaccine development, international collaboration, and more.
What people are saying online
It seems the public is already aware of the possibility of a second pandemic caused by the bird flu.
A Redditor on r/h5n1_AvianFlu wrote: “sooo in other words, modern USA is screwed”
“We might see more pandemic preparation, I’m hoping for CD388 stockpiles. But of course that might come too late,” another user in the same subreddit said. “This whole issue has motivated me to work on my bucket list, so that turns my concerns into some positive experiences.”
“To borrow a phrase from the early days of COVID, I recommend being ‘alert, not anxious’. It’s on our radar before it’s doing sustained (or really any afaik) human to human transmission, which is a huge advantage that we have this time versus SARS CoV 2, which was already transmitting between humans by the time we realized we had a problem,” added one person over on r/Virology.
Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
