PREVIEW

Bird flu, specifically the H5N1 strain, may be evolving without detection due to poor monitoring, according to pandemic expert Dr. Thomas Peacock, Sky News reports. In the US, "months of missing data" could allow the virus to spread undetected, especially in dairy cows and wild birds. Four farm workers in the US have been infected with mild symptoms, with the CDC recently reporting a human case without animal contact. Dr. Peacock warned of "silent transmission" in farm workers or animals due to limited testing. US law only mandates reporting of H5N1 in poultry, leaving mammals under-monitored. H5N1 has been found in US cattle and European fur farms, while it continues to spread globally in wild mammals. The virus may become permanently established in Europe and the Americas, signaling a dangerous turning point for future pandemics. Current vaccines for poultry do not prevent infection, and Dr. Peacock suggested new mRNA vaccines could be required if human transmission increases. Human infections in the US have shown lower fatality rates compared to Asia, possibly due to infection via the eye rather than the lungs. The CDC maintains that the current public health risk is low but is closely monitoring people exposed to infected animals.
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