“It’s not a question of if we’ll have an avian flu pandemic, but when,” said a former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).It can cause “significant mortality” in humans.
Dr. Robert Redfield, a virologist appointed to lead the CDC by former President Donald Trump in 2018, appeared on News Nation on Friday to discuss the growing concerns he and other experts have about bird flu.
Watch the video:
Redfield said the highly contagious virus, also known as bird flu, has a “probably 25 to 50 percent mortality rate” in humans.
“Unfortunately, when avian flu infects humans, the mortality rate is quite high — probably between 25 and 50 percent — so it becomes quite a complicated situation,” he explained.
Virologists said the US has seen a “gradual” increase in influenza infections in birds, including chickens, ducks and turkeys, since 2017.
Cal-Maine Foods, the largest fresh egg producer in the U.S., is temporarily Stop production The company closed its Texas plant in April after detecting avian flu in chickens, according to Breitbart News.
The company said an estimated 1.6 million laying hens and 337,000 hens were culled at its Parmer County facility after being infected. statement.
Bird flu then spread to mammals, with the virus being detected in dozens of cattle across the country. Dairy Farm Workersaccording to the CDC.
The first confirmed death from the virus was a 59-year-old Mexican man. World Health Organization (WHO) Said.
The man’s relatives confirmed that he had no history of contact with poultry or other animals, but had several underlying health conditions and had been bedridden for several weeks before contracting the virus in April.
“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, it’s a question of when,” Redfield told News Nation last week. “If the virus attaches to a human receptor and gains the ability to transmit from human to human, then we’ll have a pandemic. And, as I said, I think it’s just a matter of time.”
