As the magnitude of the bird flu outbreak in cattle becomes clearer, so does the need to quickly get a firmer grip on some basic facts. Namely, how far this H5N1 virus has spread, how it is spreading and where this situation is likely to go next. The COVID-19-weary public also wants to know whether humans are at risk.
Public agencies must move faster and collaborate more efficiently to answer some of those unknowns. After all, this is a pathogen that has loomed large in the minds of infectious disease experts for its potential to cause a deadly human pandemic.
¡°It¡¯s fair to say for every question we¡¯ve had answered in the last month, we have 10 to 15 new questions,¡± says Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy in Minnesota.
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