TRACKING EMERGING VIRUSES – May 9, 2025 – BIRD FLU
“Covering the ongoing bird flu story as it unfolds”
By Tara Haelle
“It was challenging enough to cover the COVID-19 pandemic in real-time as it developed, but how do you cover an almost-it-could-happen-but-we-don’t-know-yet pandemic that might or might not ever come to fruition? That is the challenge health journalists face with the ongoing bird flu situation — highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). If you have been struggling to determine how best to follow and cover the ongoing, unfolding events of avian influenza, we’ll provide some tips and resources to help.”
“But here is the bottom line: This strain of H5N1 is here to stay, it’s evolving, and we don’t have the information we need to catch bird flu early if it spreads human-to-human. It is already having economic effects and has killed pets and one person — and more stories need to be told.”
“Each pandemic is different, and journalists should become familiar with the mistakes being discussed from COVID-19 and differences between COVID-19 and other pandemics to provide context on what to look for if another does occur. Some ways it could differ:
-The specific population(s) at risk may differ: It’s mostly older adults with COVID-19, but it was younger adults with 2009’s H1N1.
-Transmission could differ: Even if it’s respiratory, the incubation period and amount of asymptomatic and/or presymptomatic spread could differ, which would impact what types of public health measures are recommended to reduce the risk of spreading it — don’t assume they will be the same as with COVID-19.
-Point of origin and subsequent epidemiology could differ: Instead of the cities being hit hard in the beginning, it’s possible rural areas with farms will experience the biggest burden first.
-Antiviral treatment and vaccines will certainly differ.
To read the full article go
https://healthjournalism.org/blog/2025/05/covering-the-ongoing-bird-flu-story-as-it-unfolds/
“Prepare for a bird flu pandemic now, virologists urge”
By Priya Joi
“A report in The Lancet Regional Health – Americas by the Global Virus Network (GVN), a consortium of the world’s top virologists, says that unless urgent actions are taken to boost surveillance and biosecurity, prepare for potential human-to-human viral transmission, and protect communities through vaccination and other prevention methods, we could face a global health disaster.”
“When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the world wasn’t prepared for it, and in its aftermath, global leaders and health experts vowed that countries would be better fortified in the event of another pandemic. The Global Virus Network scientists warn that there is limited surveillance at animal-human interfaces, meaning that we may not spot when bird flu starts to jump more often from animals to people.”
And they cite “a lack of a clear pathway to mitigation measures”, so that even if surveillance does detect worrying signals, it is unclear how that would lead to a rapid and forceful enough response to quash a budding pandemic.”
to read the full article go to
https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork/prepare-bird-flu-pandemic-now-virologists-urge
“Global Virus Network urges action to prevent H5N1 pandemic”
“The GVN virologists underscore the need for improved pandemic preparedness, drawing on lessons learned from the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and previous outbreaks. They advocate for a multi-faceted approach to pandemic preparedness, which includes:
Enhanced Surveillance: Continuous monitoring of animals, including testing of milk and wastewater and individuals working with infected animals, to track virus evolution that may lead to human-to human transmissibility. The GVN calls for more comprehensive state-wide testing in the U.S. and internationally.
Faster Genomic Data Sharing: Accelerating the release of genomic data to track virus evolution and spatial transmission, fostering collaboration among global research networks.
Improved Farm Biosecurity: Using personal protective equipment (PPE) and strict farm cleaning protocols to minimize human exposure and prevent virus spread.
Preparedness Plans for the Roll-Out of Tests: Advocating for self-administered diagnostic tests for farm workers, supported by healthcare access for frontline medical staff, to enhance early detection.
Strengthening Public Health Infrastructure: Increased funding and support for response mechanisms, particularly in high-risk regions, to better manage outbreaks.
Investment in Phenotype Prediction from Genetic Data: Invest in predicting the phenotypes of avian influenza viruses from genetic data, as key traits are difficult to predict solely from genomic sequences.
Investment in Rapid Vaccine Development: Encouraging the development and rapid deployment of vaccines for humans and animals, focusing on farm workers.
Preparedness Plan for the Roll-Out of Vaccines and Therapeutics: Prepositioned clinical studies to rapidly assess the properties of emerging virus strains and potential treatments.
Preparedness Plan to Allow for Rapid Clinical Studies: Focus on enabling rapid clinical studies to assess key properties of new pandemic strains, evaluate new vaccines and treatments, and support modeling efforts.
International Collaboration: Supporting a coordinated global response to track data, share research, and prepare for emerging viral threats to reduce community vulnerabilities and improve response strategies.”
to read the full article go to
https://www.news-medical.net/news/20250429/Global-Virus-Network-urges-action-to-prevent-H5N1-pandemic.aspx
“Inside the Race to Track and Stop the Spread of Avian Flu”
by Dawn Attride
“Accurately predicting viral changes in real-time requires strong surveillance on a national level. It’s particularly crucial for avian flu, which is mainly spread by wild birds that can carry the virus long distances in a short amount of time.
Dodd’s lab is the sole lab in Michigan that carries out avian flu testing for the U.S. Department of Agriculture — so on any given day the lab is testing samples collected by state officials or from local farms to track how the virus is changing.”
“Down in North Carolina, Daniel Janies uses data from labs like Dodd’s to make predictions using computational modelling. On his screen, Janies compares potential viral mutations to existing immune defenses to see if there are any discrepancies that might signal alarm bells. The technology is rapid, too — “If you give me a new virus tomorrow, I could probably give you an answer in a day or two,” he says.”
“Drew Weissman at the University of Pennsylvania won the 2023 Nobel Prize for his work on the mRNA technology and has since been developing a similar vaccine against avian flu, which has so far shown to be protective in mice and ferrets. Moderna is also developing an mRNA vaccine, backed by a $766 million grant from the U.S. government, which will soon enter Phase 3 clinical trials.”
to read the full article go to
https://sentientmedia.org/race-to-track-and-stop-avian-flu/
“Bird flu in cats points to risk of another pandemic”
by University of Maryland
It’s spring, the birds are migrating and bird flu (H5N1) is rapidly evolving into the possibility of a human pandemic. Researchers from the University of Maryland School of Public Health have published a comprehensive review documenting research on bird flu in cats and calling for urgent surveillance of cats to help avoid human-to-human transmission.
“The virus has evolved, and the way that it jumps between species—from birds to cats, and now between cows and cats, cats and humans—is very concerning. As summer approaches, we are anticipating cases on farms and in the wild to rise again,” says lead and senior author Dr. Kristen Coleman, assistant professor in UMD School of Public Health’s Department of Global, Environmental and Occupational Health and affiliate professor in UMD’s Department of Veterinary Medicine.
“Bird flu is very deadly to cats, and we urgently need to figure out how widespread the virus is in cat populations to better assess spillover risk to humans,” she said. “We want to help protect both people and pets.””
to read the full article go to
https://phys.org/news/2025-05-bird-flu-cats-pandemic.html
“Scientists Hail This Medical Breakthrough. A Political Storm Could Cripple It.”
By Kate Zernike
“To scientists who study it, mRNA is a miracle molecule. The vaccines that harnessed it against Covid saved an estimated 20 million lives, a rapid development that was recognized with a Nobel Prize. Clinical trials show mRNA-based vaccines increasing survival in patients with pancreatic and other deadly cancers. Biotechnology companies are investing in the promise of mRNA therapies to treat and even cure a host of genetic and chronic diseases, including Type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis.
But to some state legislators, mRNA therapies are “weapons of mass destruction” and a public health threat. They argue that these vaccines are untested and unsafe, and will be pumped into the food supply to “mass medicate” Americans against their will. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nation’s top health official, has falsely called the mRNA shots against Covid “the deadliest vaccine ever made.””
“States and federal health agencies are playing on public wariness about vaccines to cancel research into mRNA more broadly, indicating how much the lingering politicization of Covid is fueling the new attacks on science.”
to read the full article go to
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/08/us/mrna-vaccines-backlash-covid.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
“Antibody therapy explored to combat bird flu”
by Roberta Burkhar
“While the risk of contracting and dying from the H5N1 avian flu remains low for humans, researchers continue to hunt for vaccines and treatments in case the virus mutates to spread more easily between animals and humans—or among humans themselves.
A team that includes researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and the National Institutes of Health Vaccine Research Center say they have found that an antibody therapy lessened the severity and prevented death in monkeys that contacted the bird flu.”
to read the full article go to
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-05-antibody-therapy-explored-combat-bird.html
“H5N1 Bird Flu Cases Have Slowed in Animals and People”
by Kristina Fiore
“Todd Davis, PhD, chief of the virology, surveillance, and diagnosis branch at NCIRD, said any seasonality noted in other countries “primarily corresponds to migratory bird patterns.”
“It’s quite different from seasonality for human influenza viruses, in that the distribution of the virus among wild birds tends to follow migratory patterns, so we expect to see more circulation of H5N1 in wild birds in the fall and early winter as birds are migrating south,” Davis said.
That’s when poultry flocks and dairy cattle are most at risk of exposure, “and then subsequently the chances of human exposure correspond with when those viruses are circulating either in poultry flocks or dairy cattle,” he said.
“Transmission among dairy cows was “primarily due to cow-to-cow transmission and not reintroduction from wild birds,” so migration patterns are unlikely to be the main reason for the recent decline in cases.
On the other hand, “migration and wild bird mixing likely does drive emergence of new subtypes,” he cautioned.”
to read the full article go to
https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/birdflu/115454
“Upheaval in Washington Hinders Campaign Against Bird Flu.
By Apoorva Mandavilli
“In its first months, the Trump administration has fired teams of scientists crucial to detecting the spread of the virus, canceled important meetings, and limited access to data even for federal scientists.
The Department of Health and Human Services has not held a public news briefing on bird flu since January, and did not respond to requests for comment.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health secretary, has suggested allowing the virus to spread uncontrolled through poultry flocks to identify birds that might be immune, an idea that scientists called reckless and dangerous. His comments prompted Democratic lawmakers to open an investigation into the federal response.
The Trump administration has also eliminated funding for programs at the Food and Agriculture Organization, an agency at the United Nations, that monitor and contain bird flu in 49 countries.
“It’s just like watching this almost textbook story of how a virus spreads through animals, mixes in different types of animals and then is able to jump to humans,” said Linsey Marr, an expert in airborne viruses at Virginia Tech.
“We are getting strong warning signs from animals and people, and we are just watching and not doing a lot about it,” she added.
Determined to cut costs and manage communications, the Trump administration is moving too slowly to contain the virus, experts say.”
to read the full article go to
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/01/health/bird-flu-farms-usda.html
“The Government Quietly Stopped Bird Flu Testing. Experts Say That’s a Huge Mistake”
By Stacey Leasca
“However, following Donald Trump’s second presidential inauguration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stopped publishing updates on the bird flu situation. In late April, the Food and Drug Administration ended the national milk testing program. All this raises the question: is bird flu over, or should we still be concerned?
According to several experts, the answer is a resounding “yes.”
“Yes — bird flu remains a serious public health concern,” Dr. Tyler B. Evans, the CEO and cofounder of Wellness and Equity Alliance, a national alliance of public health clinicians… “Pulling back on surveillance only heightens the risk, especially for rural communities and those with close contact to livestock. This is not the time to take our foot off the gas when it comes to monitoring zoonotic threats.”
Evans is far from alone in this assessment. Dotsie Bausch, a public health advocate who has worked with the USDA on food policy in the past and is the founder of Switch4Good, a non-profit that advocates for a plant-based lifestyle, additionally shared, “The lack of ongoing testing by federal agencies like the USDA and FDA raises serious public health red flags.”
And, as veterinarian Dr. Kay Russo recently told “60 Minutes,” with the lack of information from the government, it’s like “we’re given a stick, and they put a blindfold on us, and we’re sent into a gunfight, and we’re losing. We are losing.”
to read the full article go to
https://www.foodandwine.com/should-you-worry-about-bird-flu-11727731
Trump’s Budget Cuts Funding for Chronic Disease Prevention
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/02/health/trump-budget-cdc-chronic-conditions.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
“Genetic Study Retraces the Origins of Coronaviruses in Bats”
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/07/science/covid-coronavirus-bats-genetics.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
curated by
Jonathan M. Metsch, Dr.P.H.
Clinical Professor of Environmental Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-metsch-526290199/
jonathanmetsch@gmail.com