With the H5N1 strain providing a very serious threat, experts are warning of the possibility of a bird flu pandemic that may be worse than the COVID-19 crisis. According to recent briefings, virus researchers believe H5N1 is “dangerously close” to causing a worldwide pandemic, and the White House has stated that it is actively “monitoring” the growing situation.
The discovery of several H5N1 infections in a range of species, including people, cows and cats, highlighted the serious nature of the situation and increased concerns about the virus mutating and becoming more easily transmissible among humans. The development comes after a dairy farm worker in Texas tested positive for the virus, as well as infections in 12 herds of cows across six states and three cats in Texas who died from the virus, according to a Daily Mail report.
Dr Suresh Kuchipudi, a well-known bird flu expert, has warned that we are on the verge of a pandemic caused by H5N1. He highlighted that the virus has already demonstrated the potential to infect a wide range of animal hosts, including humans, posing a significant pandemic risk. John Fulton, a pharmaceutical industry expert, shared this opinion, emphasizing the serious consequences of H5N1 developing while maintaining its high death rate, which might lead to a pandemic even worse than Covid 19.
Fulton stated, “This appears to be 100 times worse than Covid, or it could be if it mutates and maintains its high case fatality rate.”