In a recent outbreak, bird flu has spread to cows in the United States, causing concerns over disease control and communication among federal agencies, echoing issues faced during the early COVID-19 pandemic.
Lena H. Sun and Rachel Roubein report for The Washington Post.
In short:
- Federal coordination is lacking as different agencies handle the outbreak, with slow sharing of test results and epidemiological data.
- New measures include mandatory testing of dairy cows for H5N1 before interstate movement to better monitor and contain the virus.
- Concerns grow about the virus' potential to spread among humans as it jumps from animal to animal, increasing mutation risks.
Key quote:
“Given this is a novel outbreak, testing needs to be done widely and rapidly, investigators need to be on affected farms, and scientists and policymakers need to be bringing it all together to set a coordinated plan of action.”
— Tom Inglesby, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.
Why this matters:
The bird flu's jump to cows represents an escalation in the pathogen's reach. Each new host provides a chance for the virus to evolve and potentially become more virulent or gain the ability to spread more easily between species, including humans.
