Becker's Healthcare January 10, 2025
Although any existing or emerging virus can become a pandemic, the H5N1 outbreak that has infected 66 Americans and more than 900 dairy herds is “poorly suited for pandemic potential,” according to Shira Doron, MD.
Dr. Doron, chief infection control officer of Boston-based Tufts Medical Center, said the avian flu virus would first need to undergo several mutations to better bind to human airway cells before it could lead to human-to-human transmission and eventual pandemic status.
One of the 66 human cases has died, officials said Jan. 6. The older Louisiana resident was hospitalized for severe illness — a first in the U.S. for bird flu — after being exposed to a non-commercial backyard flock and wild birds....
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