A global coalition of top virologists is raising urgent alarms over the rising threat of the H5N1 avian flu virus, warning that the world is once again at risk of being caught unprepared for a pandemic.
In a commentary published in The Lancet Regional Health – Americas, more than 100 virologists across 40 countries part of the Global Virus Network (GVN) urged world leaders to take immediate steps to prevent the virus from mutating into a form capable of efficient human-to-human transmission.
“In the U.S., sporadic human infections with no known contact with infected animals highlight the possibility of viral adaptation for efficient human-to-human transmission,”
— Global Virus Network scientists, The Lancet
The Threat Is Real and Spreading
The numbers paint a concerning picture:
- Over 995 dairy cow herds have tested positive for H5N1 in the U.S.
- At least 70 people have been infected, including the first confirmed U.S. death.
- The virus is now present in all 50 states and Canada.
- Since 2022, over 168 million poultry birds in the U.S. have been culled due to outbreaks.
While human-to-human transmission hasn’t occurred yet, experts say the risk is rising. H5N1’s ability to infect both animals and humans, coupled with new genetic mutations, raises fears it could evolve into a more contagious strain, much like what the world saw in early 2020 with COVID-19.
“The virus’s ability to infect both animals and humans, combined with recent genetic changes, underscores the importance of proactive surveillance and rapid response measures,”
— Dr. Sten H. Vermund, Chief Medical Officer, GVN
What Experts Are Urging World Leaders to Do
To avoid a repeat of the early COVID response missteps, the GVN has laid out a concrete action plan. Key recommendations include:
- Monitoring animals more closely, including milk, wastewater, and workers exposed to infected livestock.
- Boosting global data sharing to track viral mutations in real-time.
- Improving on-farm biosecurity, with stricter cleaning, PPE protocols, and farmworker protections.
- Investing in vaccine development for both animals and humans.
- Expanding access to testing, especially for farmworkers and frontline healthcare personnel.
- Conducting clinical trials on new virus strains and potential therapies.
- Using AI to predict virus behavior based on genetic markers.
- Building community trust to ensure the smooth deployment of preventive measures like vaccines.
“A robust nationwide monitoring system is essential to quickly detect and quarantine affected animals and prevent further human infections,”
— Elyse Stachler, GVN & Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
Echoes of COVID: The Time to Prepare Is Now
The scientists are clear: the world cannot afford to wait for H5N1 to become a crisis. Their commentary calls for a unified global response, echoing warnings many health experts gave in late 2019 that went unheeded.
“We are advocating for community-driven strategies to ensure the successful implementation of vaccines, if necessary,”
— Dr. Christian Bréchot, President Emeritus, GVN
Bréchot also emphasized that pandemic preparedness is not just about science, but about trust, transparency, and coordination across public health systems.
Final Word
The emergence of H5N1 as a serious zoonotic threat is not a hypothetical, it’s happening now. With new cases across species and humans, the virus has entered a dangerous phase.
What happens next depends on how quickly leaders act, how well communities cooperate, and whether the world has truly learned from COVID.
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