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Bird Flu: Get Your Shoes Ready
Lurking in plain sight, the next pandemic could be in the making
It’s been more than three months since the emergence of bird flu in dairy cattle, the so-called ‘cow flu,’ and concerns are growing that it’s here to stay.
As of July 16, 2024, the highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 has been detected in at least 161 cattle herds, and 9 reported human cases across at least a dozen US states, including the latest four new cases of poultry workers from Colorado. Researchers believe many more cases in cows and humans have likely gone undetected.
Nicole Lurie, who heads preparedness and response at the Oslo-based Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), says the coalition’s approach “for the moment is one of ‘calm urgency’ — like putting our shoes on in case we need to start running.”
The truth is no one really knows how far bird flu has spread, and the chance of stopping this outbreak is getting narrower by the day. And I wish I wasn’t writing this, but prevention is better than cure: get your shoes ready.
With Influenza, You Never Know
Most H5N1 bird flu outbreaks in the last thirty years started from handling or ingesting infected raw meat. We know for a fact that carnivorous mammals, especially scavengers like foxes, seals, sea lions, cats, and dogs, have been sickened and killed by bird flu from eating dead birds.
So, if you’re wondering if you can catch the flu or anything else from consuming raw animal products, the answer is yes. The H5N1 virus is an equal-opportunity killer, regardless of whether you’re a fox or a human.
While the current public health risk assessment is low and it doesn’t seem to have pandemic potential, with influenza viruses, that can change entirely with a single mutation. Before the US outbreak, researchers didn’t think cattle could be infected with avian influenza. Now, some dairy cows infected by wild bird defecation in their food never recovered from H5N1 and died or were slaughtered because of it.
