USA -Doctor issues dire bird flu warning20 Jun 2024 05:11
"Doctor issues dire bird flu warning saying CDC is 'flying blind', comparing outbreak to 'early days of Covid'
A top doctor has warned the USDA and CDC are 'blind' to a potential nationwide bird flu outbreak in the United States because of a lack of testing.
Dr Rick Bright, a virologist and former director at the Department of Health and Human Services, said that the level of concern is greater than it appears on the surface, with only three Americans having tested positive for the virus.
He warned that, despite the low number of cases, it is possible the virus could be mutating, making it better able to infect humans.
In an interview with PBS, he said: 'I'm more worried right now about the information and the data that we're missing.
'We're being blindfolded in this battle right now, and I'm really concerned that the virus is winning the game and getting ahead of us.'
Scientists say the risk is high due to widespread infections in cattle, which have udders containing receptors found in both bird and human lungs.
The CDC has only tested 45 humans for bird flu to date, which the agency says it only does when there are concerns the person could be infected.
But with so many herds infected with the virus — 102 as of yesterday — and so many it is feared the virus may be gaining new mutations.
Dr Bright added during the interview: 'When I talk about we're not doing enough about it is, we really don't know how many humans have been infected with this virus.
'And, today, there's been very limited to almost no serology testing done among any of the cases, the close contacts on the farm or their family members.
So, it's really hard for us to know how many people have been exposed, and if there really is any human-to-human transmission or not.'
Genetic testing carried out by the CDC has shown more than 300 mutations of the virus in cattle, including some that may make the virus more infectious.
1Previous data shows that 52 percent of people who have suffered from a bird flu infection have died from the disease.
For comparison, in the early days of Covid this figure was closer to ten percent of patients.
'Once the virus gains the ability to attach to the human receptor and then go from human-to-human, that's when you're going to have the pandemic.
'And, as I said, I think it's just a matter of time.'
The first two cases of bird flu in the US recorded this year the patients only had eye symptoms.
But in the third case, the patient had respiratory symptoms — suggesting the virus may have infected their lungs.
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