The rapid spread and mutation of a deadly bird flu virus in the United States warrants urgent global action on pandemic preparedness to close dangerous gaps in the world’s ability to develop and deliver new protective vaccines, flu and disease outbreak specialists are warning.
In a letter to the journal Science, CEPI’s Executive Director for Preparedness and Response Dr Nicole Lurie and six other experts said the bird flu virus – known as H5N1 and known to be very severe in some human cases—had in recent years crossed species from birds to mammals, including dairy cattle, and was now causing widespread exposure and sporadic human infections in the U.S. and beyond. At least one person has died from H5N1 infection in the U.S., and a teenager in Canada suffered critical illness before eventually recovering.
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