Will Bird Flu Become the Next Pandemic?

As infections spike in chickens and cows, and now cats and humans, I've put together a 12-point FAQ to keep you informed and safe

Hey Wise & Well subscribers, a special midweek update: I’ve created a detailed FAQ about the emerging threat from bird flu. You’ll find a link below to the full article on Medium (including a “friend link” if you’re not a Medium member). Here’s the top of the story and the 12 questions I address:

It’s not a pandemic yet, but some scientists are starting to use the p-word to describe the future potential of the rapidly spreading, always-mutating, highly deadly avian influenza virus. While there’s certainly no need for panic, increased personal vigilance and public surveillance efforts are clearly warranted, a growing chorus of health experts and research scientists say.

Avian influenza — bird flu, formally called H5N1 — is a communicable disease that has in recent years crossed over from wild birds to domestic poultry and cows and is now infecting humans and numerous other animal species, including cats and wild mammals on land and in the ocean. Globally, more than 400 people have died from the virus, mostly in the past year.

The pace of infections spiked alarmingly in recent months, in birds, cows and humans.

The risk of infections to most Americans is relatively low right now, experts say. But concern is growing here and around the world about the increasing transmission of bird flu to dairy cows, where it ends up in raw milk, as well as transmission within and among poultry (causing egg prices to skyrocket and generating shortages).

Meanwhile, global human infections and deaths have risen considerably over the past year. Health experts worry that the virus, which is particularly deadly to humans, will continue to mutate — which viruses are prone to do — until it could eventually gain the ability to transmit between humans, if it hasn’t already.

Here the key questions in the FAQ to help you stay informed and safe:

1. Where did bird flu come from?

2. How do humans catch the virus?

3. Can bird flu be transmitted from one human to another?

4. How dangerous is it?

5. What are the symptoms in humans?

6. Are pets and other wild animals at risk?

7. Is there a vaccine?

8. What happens to infected cows and poultry?

9. What if I raise chickens or other poultry in my backyard?

10. Is raw milk safe to drink?

11. Are eggs and chicken meat safe to eat?

12. Could bird flu become a pandemic?

Read the full story on Medium: Bird Flu FAQ

(If you don’t have a Medium subscription, use this “friend link” to bypass the paywall.)

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I hope you find this useful. I’ll be back to you this weekend with the regular weekly Wise & Well newsletter.
—Rob

Image: Alter-ego/Shutterstock. Used under the writer’s license.