Former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb and Luciana Borio, former director of medical and biodefense preparedness policy at the National Security Council, wrote: friday editorial The Washington Post outlined growing concerns about the White House's approach to eliminating mutant strains of bird flu.
“President-elect Donald Trump's transition team would be wise to prepare for swift action once he takes office,” they wrote.
“For months, the Biden administration has mismanaged the cattle outbreak, increasing the potential for dangerous and widespread outbreaks,” he added.
Gottlieb and Borio argue that President Biden should have launched a federal effort to address the recent outbreak with more urgency than he did.
There have been few human cases linked to dairy or poultry farms, and the virus causes mild symptoms, but some believe new strains could emerge within the next few years.
“It's only in the past month that the Biden administration has embarked on broad policy initiatives.” Raw milk bulk inventory inspection “Detecting which dairy herds are infected allows farmers to isolate sick cows and take steps to prevent further infection on farms and dairy products,” they said.
“A program for Compensate dairy farms It wasn't until this summer that infected cattle were discovered. This is an important step to avoid financial hardship for livestock owners when identifying infected herds. ”
Their words echo the sentiments of the Centers for Disease Control, which has called for increased testing of farmworkers for avian influenza.
Amid the transfer of power, Gottlieb and Borio are hopeful that former President Trump will help reduce further bird flu infections.
“The incoming Trump administration has an opportunity to recalibrate its public health strategy to counter looming threats and communicate openly and accurately about emerging dangers, while ensuring that it appropriately responds to the risks facing the American people.” “This should include balancing the need to communicate,” they write.
At the end of his campaign with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Trump briefly mentioned USDA regulations and farmers' concerns through his “Make America Healthy Again” promotion.
The former president has since given no indication of further priorities for the department or mutations in bird flu. But Gottlieb and Borio are encouraging leaders to do so in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Every modern president faces a major public health crisis. During his first term, President Trump faced the first wave of the coronavirus and the frustrations that followed; “It was fueled by the sometimes excessive energy of public health agencies focused on suppressing the virus without much care,” they wrote. editorial.
“President Trump has an opportunity to show how we can intelligently adapt public health safeguards to the real risks, strengthen our national security, and mitigate threats before they fully materialize.”
