The first severe case of bird flu occurred last month in a Louisiana man hospitalized after having had contact with sick birds in a backyard flock. In addition, the state of California recently declared a state of emergency as the bird flu virus continues to spread among livestock in the state.
To date, there have been 66 confirmed human cases of bird flu in the United States, according to the CDC. The current public health risk remains low, as no sustained human-to-human transmission has occurred.
Some obvious questions remain- like how did the U.S. allow a patient to get severely ill from the virus? Also, are we repeating the same mistakes we made with the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020? Here are some reasons we may be repeating history.
Avoiding Early Warning Signs
Although the first severe case of the virus was reported recently, the bird flu has been around for some time and has been widespread in wild birds globally for a long time, dating back to the 1990s. In addition, the first human case of bird flu in 2024 was reported April 1 from a cow-to-human transmission. Since then, the U.S. has not been able to control 66 confirmed human cases across 10 different states.
If there have been several dozen reported cases, and at least one severe case, then what are we waiting for to roll out vaccines? Shouldn’t high risk individuals like farm workers be offered a bird flu vaccine in order to mitigate the spread of the disease? This lack of preparedness mirrors the COVID-19 hysteria and reactionary approach whereby lockdowns and mask mandates were instituted only after thousands of Americans had already been infected and hospitalized. Preemptive strategies such as containment and preparedness were noticeably absent during the COVID-19 pandemic, and are similarly absent with the bird flu currently.
Lack Of Adequate Testing
A glaring mistake during the COVID-19 pandemic was the lack of testing done early on, which underestimated the amount of cases and the severity of infections throughout the country.
A very similar situation is panning out with the bird flu. Although less than 70 human cases have been confirmed, there could be many more as many farmers are likely reluctant to get tested out of fear of losing revenue. In addition, the USDA on December 6 of last year announced a federal order requiring raw milk samples to be collected and tested nationwide for bird flu.
Although appropriate to test raw milk for the bird flu, the mandate came months after bird flu was already found and known to be present in raw milk. This type of reactionary testing after cases have already been confirmed remains reminiscent of the lack of testing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Increased testing allows public health officials to detect and contain outbreaks early, which can prompt the implementation of early interventions such as restricting movements of birds and milk products in the case of bird flu that can be lifesaving.
Insufficient Investment In Research And Innovation
The United States should be doing all it can to contain and prevent further transmission of bird flu. This means investing in and funding major health organizations to find the best and most effective therapies to combat the virus.
To date, although Tamiflu is known to be an effective anti-viral medication against both the common flu and the bird flu, a specific monoclonal antibody against the bird flu virus does not exist currently. Research and adequate funding should be in place to discover as many effective treatments as possible to target the bird flu, especially since the virus can mutate and render known treatments ineffective.
A troubling sign is the Trump administration allegedly planning to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization. This is precisely what President Trump did in May of 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Withdrawing from such an organization undermines international collaboration that is necessary to mitigate the spread of disease across continents to safeguard the health of people all around the world. These global organizations help coordinate efforts in monitoring, vaccine development and sharing of resources to prevent severe illnesses.
Soaring Misinformation
Finally, misinformation with respect to public health issues remains at an all-time high, even four years after the COVID-19 pandemic. Politicization and mixed messaging about masks, vaccines and transmission derailed efforts to control COVID-19 four years ago in America. Clear and consistent messaging remains vital during public health crises to ensure people can adhere to evidence-based guidelines to safeguard health.
Given the degree of vaccine hesitancy that currently exists, it may be extremely difficult to roll out a bird flu vaccine should one be needed in the future. The topic of vaccines remains a polarizing topic in America, with vaccine uptake rates declining currently in America. American politicians and public health officials have yet to formulate a plan to counter anti-science messaging and rhetoric.
I learned very early in grade school that those that forget history are most likely to repeat it. I hope I am dead wrong about repeating history with the bird flu.
