The bird flu, a virus that has been circulating among wild birds for decades, has suddenly made headlines in recent months with the spread of the H5N1 strain. Earlier this week the British government announced that bird flu had been detected in a sheep in northern England, the first known case of its kind in the world. These sorts of incidents have sparked widespread concern and captured the attention of health experts and media alike. Why are we hearing so much about bird flu now, and what makes this outbreak so concerning? More importantly, are we prepared to face another pandemic? 

A Brief History 

Avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu, is a virus primarily spread among wild birds, although it can occasionally infect other species, including humans. According to the American Center for Disease Control (CDC) the first recorded case of avian influenza dates back to the 19th century. Since then, numerous outbreaks have occurred. The virus is classified under Influenza A, which is further divided into two main categories: LPAI (Low Pathogenic Avian Influenza) and HPAI (Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza). HPAI strains, such as H5N1, are much more severe in poultry, leading to high mortality rates.

The H5N1 strain of bird flu was first identified in 1996 in China. It re-emerged in the early 2000s and quickly spread across Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. In late 2021, H5N1 was detected in the US and Canada, with major outbreaks occurring in US commercial and backyard poultry farms by February 2022. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), between January 2003 and December 2024, there have been a total of 954 reported human infections, resulting in 464 fatalities. The ongoing evolution and spread of this virus continues to pose significant challenges to global public health. 

The Current Situation in the US

In early 2024, an alarming outbreak occurred in US cattle, marking the first known instance of avian influenza infecting cows. Many different mammals have died of the H5N1 bird flu virus across the globe including bears, cats, dogs, dolphins, seals and tigers. What made this incident alarming beyond its reach into the beef and dairy industry, was that research indicated that, unlike typical bird-to-animal transmission, cows appeared to be capable of spreading the virus to other cows rather than contracting it from infected birds. This discovery heightened fears that the virus could mutate into a strain capable of human-to-human transmission, a scenario that could trigger a global health crisis. 

How could we prevent H5N1 from evolving into a human-to-human transmissible virus? The answer lies in minimizing exposure and stopping its spread. Yet, the outbreak in cows was not sufficiently contained and controlled, primarily due to delays in response in terms of testing and only culling the sickest cows. A further obstacle to containment is that immigrants make up a large percentage of farm workers in both the poultry and cattle industry. Due to their immigration status, many have been hesitant to come forward to be tested when feeling sick. With the increased scrutiny by the current administration on the immigrant population and deportation being a very real risk for many, this fear can only exacerbate the community’s reluctance to come forward. This decreases opportunities to catch an outbreak early on and instead allows it to spread and further mutate. While there have been no confirmed human-to-human transmissions associated with the current avian influenza outbreak in the US, studies have shown that a single genetic mutation could potentially pave the way for this shift, further intensifying concerns about the virus’s evolving threat.

Additionally, the government’s cuts to public health funding, particularly for organizations like the CDC and NIH, and the significant layoffs that followed, have left the US in a vulnerable position. While we would have relied on these agencies in the past to provide information and guidance about how to prepare and react to this situation, due to their diminished capacities, we find ourselves with more questions than answers. 

To make matters worse, the appointment of Robert Kennedy Jr., a known vaccine skeptic, to the role of Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) raises troubling concerns. His position on vaccines could impede public health efforts and responses when it comes to combating a potential pandemic. Public health efforts and government messaging could be significantly undermined if the nation’s top health official does not support proven methods to control the spread of infectious diseases. 

These recent developments in the US are regrettable, as the Biden government seemed to have prepared for another pandemic event with steps taken since mid-2023 to move a fragmented system toward corrective measures. But now the decisions of the Trump administration have called into question whether America has truly learned these lessons, and is instead throwing away an opportunity to be better prepared than we were for the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Need for Vigilance

The COVID-19 pandemic revealed how unprepared the world was with underfunded public health systems, delayed responses, lack of communication and clarity, as well as a lack of global coordination. While the threat of the H5N1 virus evolving into a global pandemic still remains low, the ongoing spread and mutations of the virus serve as a reminder of the need for vigilance. 

The high mortality rate associated with the virus should serve as a wake-up call, urging governments to adopt a strong pandemic response strategy. Although the COVID-19 pandemic could have served as an example as to how to improve pandemic preparedness, the United States is still falling short, and may even be regressing. Years later, it’s alarmingly apparent that the US has not taken the lessons learned to heart.  

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Nayla Medbouh is a graduate Emory University in the United States, and holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry with a minor in global health. As part of her undergraduate program, she traveled to South Africa, Argentina and Vietnam to study health culture in those national contexts.