Top virologists sound the alarm on bird flu and plead with world leaders to prepare for another pandemic
'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 (GVN) scientists write in a commentary published this week in The Lancet Regional Health–Americas. 'Concurrently, the virus continues to circulate in wild birds, backyard flocks, and hunted migratory species, further amplifying the risk to humans and domestic animals.'
The experts compel leaders to address the issue by boosting surveillance, enhancing biosecurity, and preparing for potential human-to-human viral transmission.
The authors note that more than 995 dairy cow herds and at least 70 people have been infected with H5N1, including severe cases and the first reported U.S. death.
'Understanding the current landscape of H5N1 infections is critical for effective prevention and response,' Dr. Sten H. Vermund, chief medical officer of the GVN and dean of the USF Health College of Public Health at the University of South Florida, said in a press release. '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.'
The highly pathogenic influenza virus is now circulating in all 50 states and Canada, the virologists warn, resulting in the loss or culling of more than 168 million poultry animals in the U.S. since 2022. While human-to-human transmission is not documented, experts warn that virus mutations or the combination of two flu viruses could increase transmissibility.
The researchers made several recommendations:
Continuously monitoring animals, including testing milk, wastewater, and people working with infected animals, to track virus evolution that may lead to human-to human transmissibility.
Accelerating the sharing of genomic data among global research networks to track virus evolution and spread.
Using personal protective equipment and strict farm-cleaning protocols.
Advocating for self-administered diagnostic tests for farmworkers and health care access for frontline medical workers.
Providing more funding for responses, especially in high-risk regions.
Investing in predicting traits of avian flu viruses from genetic data.
Developing and rapidly administering vaccines to people and animals.
Conducting clinical studies on the properties of emerging virus strains, potential therapies, and vaccines.
'A robust nationwide monitoring system is essential to quickly detect and quarantine affected animals and implement preventive measures to curb further spread and human infections,' said Elyse Stachler, GVN member and a research scientist at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. 'Further, we believe it is crucial to maintain trust and stakeholder buy-in for monitoring programs, particularly from farmworkers.'
'We are advocating for community-driven strategies to ensure the successful implementation of vaccines, if necessary,' said Dr. Christian Bréchot, president emeritus of the GVN and director of the USF Health Microbiomes Institute and senior associate dean for research in global affairs in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. 'The situation with H5N1 demands heightened vigilance and collaboration across public health sectors. Early detection and robust surveillance are critical to prevent further spread.'
More on infectious disease:
At this rate, measles could become endemic again within 2 decades, researchers warn
As measles spreads throughout the U.S., here's how to tell if you need a booster shot
What are the symptoms of bird flu and how does it spread?
This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time Business News
2 hours ago
- Time Business News
Nano Zeolite Sieves Drive Growth in Energy, Water, and Medical Sectors
Molecular sieve is a crystalline material made from metal aluminosilicates, featuring pores that are all the same size. It has a three-dimensional structure, like a network, made up of silica and alumina tetrahedra all linked together. By heating the material, the natural water it contains gets removed, creating uniform empty spaces. These spaces then act like tiny traps, specifically capturing molecules of a particular size. Increasing demand for processing from of the oil and gas industry and increasing awareness for the treatment of hazardous organic materials in the wastewater are major driving factors. Several emerging opportunities are created with innovation of the nano size zeolite molecular sieves for the medical oxygen concentration. Moreover, advancement in technology for the proper oxygen supply and the development of antimicrobial zeolite molecular sieves drives growth on global scale. Key Growth Drivers and Opportunities Demand in Oil & Gas sector: Molecular sieves are crucial in the oil and gas industry, used for operations such as drying natural gas, refining oil, and making petrochemicals. As the oil and gas industry keeps growing, especially in the Asia-Pacific area, the need for these molecular sieves is also in high demand. Also, strict environmental rules are pushing the use of better purification methods, which in turn is increasing the popularity of molecular sieves. Improvements in sieve design and how efficiently they can be renewed are also making them more useful in both early-stage and later-stage processes. Industrial Application: Molecular sieves are handy in all sorts of industrial jobs, like separating gases, cleaning up air, and acting as catalysts in chemical reactions. They're really good at this because they can soak up and pick out specific things, which makes them perfect for getting rid of moisture, CO₂, and other unwanted stuff from industrial gas flows. Challenges Options such as silica gel, calcium sulfate, and certain membrane methods can offer similar performance but might be more budget-friendly. However, these alternatives often fall short when it comes to the top-tier selectivity, heat resistance, and ability to be easily recharged that molecular sieves provide. That's why molecular sieves are still the go-to pick for demanding jobs where precision and toughness are absolutely essential. Innovation and Expansion Honeywell Backs India with $3M Aid and Oxygen Tech In August 2021, Honeywell International announced that it will provide USD 3 million in assistance to India through the Covid-19 procedure. Personnel from the company constructed critical care units with protective gear, air, and beds. DRDO and the Indian Institute of Petroleum also use the company's molecular sieve adsorbents. This support really showcases Honeywell's dedication to public health and how its technology helps out during emergencies. Their molecular sieves were absolutely crucial for oxygen generation and purification systems throughout the pandemic. BASF Boosts Bio-Based Surfactant Capacity with Dual APG Plants In June 2023, BASF SE has made an announcement that it's planning to boost its production capacity for alkyl polyglucosides (APGs) worldwide. They're going to build two new facilities—one in Bangpakong, Thailand, and another in Cincinnati, Ohio. This move is aimed at keeping up with the growing demand for bio-based surfactants and to offer customers a faster and more flexible service. By growing in two regions at the same time, BASF can cut down on moving products between areas. BASF is hoping its new facilities will give the company a better position in the market for bio-based surfactants. These facilities should also help important industries reach their sustainability goals. APGs, which are widely used in personal care, home cleaning, and industrial cleaning products, are popular as they're gentle and seen as sustainable. Inventive Sparks, Expanding Markets The key players operating the molecular sieve market involves Arkema, Axens, BASF SE, Cabot Corporation, CarboTech AC GmbH, Clariant, Dalian Absortbent Co. Ltd., among others. Major players operating in the target market are focusing on strategic partnerships as well as the launching of the Product Types to gain a competitive edge in the target market. About Author: Prophecy is a specialized market research, analytics, marketing and business strategy, and solutions company that offer strategic and tactical support to clients for making well-informed business decisions and to identify and achieve high value opportunities in the target business area. Also, we help our client to address business challenges and provide best possible solutions to overcome them and transform their business. TIME BUSINESS NEWS
CNBC
3 hours ago
- CNBC
AstraZeneca to invest $50 billion in the U.S. as pharma tariffs weigh
AstraZeneca on Monday said it plans to invest $50 billion in bolstering its U.S. manufacturing and research capabilities by 2030, becoming the latest pharmaceutical firm to ramp up its stateside spending in the wake of U.S. trade tariffs. The Anglo-Swedish biotech company, which is headquartered in Cambridge, England, said the "cornerstone" of the commitment would be a new multi-billion dollar facility to produce its weight management and metabolic portfolio, including its oral GLP-1 obesity pill. The facility, planned for the Commonwealth of Virginia, is set to be AstraZeneca's largest single manufacturing investment in the world and will "leverage AI, automation and data analytics to optimize production," the company said. The latest funding will also expand research and development and cell therapy manufacturing in Maryland, Massachusetts, California, Indiana and Texas, and create "tens of thousands of jobs," AstraZeneca added. CEO Pascal Soriot said the commitment underpins the firm's "belief in America's innovation in biopharmaceuticals" and would support its ambition to reach $80 billion in annual revenue by 2030, half of which is expected to come from the U.S. AstraZeneca, which made international headlines by developing one of the key Covid-19 vaccines, has long been prioritizing the U.S. market. The United States accounted for over 40% of the company's annual revenues in 2024. In November, shortly after the U.S. presidential election, AstraZeneca announced a $3.5 billion U.S. investment. Earlier this month, The Times reported that the firm may move its listing from London to the U.S., in what analysts said would be a major blow to the U.K.'s public markets. AstraZeneca is the most valuable business listed on London's FTSE 100. The company declined to comment on the Times report. AstraZeneca's funding announcement follows similar moves by global pharmaceutical firms — including Novartis, Sanofi and Roche and U.S.-headquartered Eli Lilly and Johnson & Johnson — who have all vowed over recent months to ramp up their U.S. investment amid U.S. President Donald Trump's demands to reshore domestic manufacturing. The industry is awaiting further clarity on the Trump administration's pharma tariffs, with the final outcome of a Section 232 investigation into the sector due at the end of this month. An effort to rebalance U.S. drug prices with those paid by other countries is also underway. Trump earlier this month suggested that the industry could face levies of up to 200%, with a brief 12-18 month grace period to allow firms to relocate manufacturing stateside. However, many firms and analysts have dubbed the time frame as insufficient. "Typically for most medicines it's a three to four year horizon. We're working very hard to accelerate that as fast as we can and demonstrate we're making the investments we have planned," Novartis CEO Vas Narasimhan said last week during an earnings call, adding that he hoped the administration would make allowances.
WebMD
8 hours ago
- WebMD
Why COVID Spikes in the Summer, and How to Stay Safe
With cases climbing again, you might be wondering why a "winter virus" keeps returning in the heat, and what you should be doing right now to protect yourself. "A couple of months ago, experts were uncertain about a summer wave," said Jodie Guest, PhD, an epidemiologist at Emory University in Atlanta who has tracked COVID since the start of the pandemic. "The low levels of respiratory illness in spring 2025 and stable variant landscape suggested a quiet summer." But three key indicators now have COVID watchdogs sounding the alarm: a new virus strain, increasing wastewater levels, and emergency room visit upticks in parts of the U.S. The CDC now lists the "COVID-19 epidemic trend" as growing or likely growing for more than half of U.S. states. The strongest indicators were seen in Arkansas, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia. Here's what to know about summer COVID, and how to protect yourself – especially if you have a summer vacation or travel coming up. I thought COVID was a big risk during flu season. Did something change? No, COVID has always had two waves, about six months apart – one in the summer and the other at the height of winter "respiratory season," when flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) also rage. The winter wave typically peaks sometime between "December and February, coinciding with colder weather and increased indoor gatherings," said Guest, senior vice chair of the Department of Epidemiology at Emory's Rollins School of Public Health. "Summer waves have occurred sporadically, often driven by new variants or waning immunity." Here's when COVID peaked the past three summers: 2022: Around Aug. 1 2023: Around Sept. 30 2024: Around Aug. 31 This timing has prompted some experts to theorize that summer waves may be linked to people spending more time indoors with air conditioning during the height of summer heat. Why are there two COVID waves, but influenza only spikes once per year? Some scientists point to rapid mutations and waning immunity from past infection or vaccination. "A big chunk of people will get sick in a wave, and they'll have pretty good immunity to that particular variant, and that immunity is enough to sort of stop that wave in its tracks," said Emily Landon, MD, an infectious disease specialist at UChicago Medicine in Illinois. The virus then needs to change enough to evade existing immunity before another cycle starts back up. A second theory suggests there are three distinct groups of people – a summer group, a winter group, and a group that gets infected twice a year. The idea is based on the idea that people vary in how long they're immune after infection, vaccination, or both. Scientists still need more data to know for sure, "but the bottom line is we're certainly seeing a big increase in cases in the summer and a big increase of cases in the winter," Landon said. Is this surge caused by the new variant? Yes, partly. NB.1.8.1 – or Nimbus – has been on the rise in Asia recently, and it now accounts for as many as 43% of new cases in the U.S., up from 24% at the beginning of June, according to CDC data. It's the variant known for a " razor blade" sore throat symptom, although it doesn't appear to cause more severe illness than other versions of the virus, Landon said. This geographic pattern has become pretty set: A rising variant in Asia or Europe typically foreshadows a rise in the U.S., said Sabrina A. Assoumou, MD, MPH, an infectious disease doctor and professor at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. Another regional clue: "We have typically seen that the [U.S.] rise in cases starts in the South," said Assoumou. She noted that some of the highest wastewater levels of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID) are in Florida and Alabama right now. "This is often followed by increases in other parts of the nation such as the Northeast." How can I protect myself from summer COVID? Make sure your vaccination is current. If you got a COVID shot last winter, you're probably good, Landon said. But if you're 65 or older, immunocompromised, or have a health condition that puts you at high risk – the CDC website maintains a list of qualifying conditions – ask your health care provider if you need a booster now. People with upcoming travel should consider a booster, too. Landon, who has rheumatoid arthritis and receives treatment that affects her immune system, just got a booster because she's going on vacation soon. "I want the best protection since I know that we're seeing the beginning of a summer spike," she said. Remember that masks are still an effective tool. If you're traveling, wear a mask like an N-95, KN-95, or KF-94, and make it as snug as you can tolerate. Don't just wear it on the plane; wear it while lining up to board, too. It is OK to slip it down to sip a drink or eat a snack while in flight. "I would absolutely recommend that everyone wear a mask on an airplane," Landon said. "The last thing you want is even any kind of cold, let alone COVID, when you're on vacation." Pack some COVID tests in your travel bag. If you know you have COVID, you can consider starting antiviral medication right away, which can reduce your risk of hospitalization. Maybe bring a Paxlovid prescription too. If you're older or have a condition that puts you at high risk, ask your doctor to prescribe Paxlovid or another antiviral called molnupiravir to bring with you in case you get sick. Ask sick people to stay home. If you're planning a summer party, Landon suggested adding a note to the bottom of the invite that says, "We have some high-risk people coming. If you're not feeling well, we'll take a pass and meet up with you another time when you're feeling better." Some people feel obligated to attend parties even when they aren't feeling well. "Letting them know that they're off the hook if they're sick and that you really don't want them to come if they're sick is a really important way that you can help protect your own health and help other people to do the right thing," Landon said.
