Former CDC director Robert Redfield has suggested that a human avian flu pandemic is inevitable and would be extremely deadly. (See the video below.)
Redfield, who was appointed by the Trump administration to head the Centers for Disease Control from 2018 to 2021, gave the alarming interview to NewsNation on Friday after the World Health Organization announced the avian flu-related death of a 59-year-old man in Mexico.
“I really do think it’s very likely that we will have an avian flu pandemic at some point. It’s not a question of if, but when,” Redfield said.
Wide variety mammalian It was discovered that he was carrying the virus. CowThe virus also infects dogs, cats, ferrets and elephant seals. Redfield warned that there was an increasing likelihood of a human-to-human epidemic that could kill 25 to 50 percent of those infected.
Before a vaccine became available, the overall case fatality rate for COVID-19 was 1.7%. According to CDC statistics:.
Redfield said scientists have found that bird flu viruses have not yet adapted to jump from human to human, but once they do “you’ve got a pandemic.” The Hill reported.“And like I said, I think it’s just a matter of time.”
Other experts expressed similar concerns: “Are we just seeing the beginning? Is this a recurring ripple effect that will suddenly explode one day? Or will we suddenly see clusters of human infections, like with COVID-19, and then it’s too late?” said Louise Moncla, an avian flu researcher and assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania. He told CBC.
The World Health Organization reported earlier this month that a 59-year-old man from Mexico who had comorbidities and died from the virus in late April had no known contact with poultry or other animals.
The H5N2 virus he was infected with has never before been found in humans, according to the Associated Press.
The H5N1 strain of avian influenza currently infecting dairy cows has reportedly caused mild symptoms in three farm workers in the United States, but since its discovery in 1996, H5N1 has infected about 900 people worldwide. Mortality About 50 percent.
“The risk of going from one or two isolated cases to becoming an issue of international concern is not insignificant,” said CDC principal deputy director Nirav Shah. He told Politico “We all know that the virus could spread around the world before public health officials can act. That’s a risk and something we have to be careful about.”
be CDC timeline of bird flu outbreaksIn 2021, 36 people were infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N6 in China, 18 of whom died. Avian influenza typically spreads among birds and other animals. But it can infect humans Being exposed to animal waste, such as saliva and feces.
