A year after H5N1 bird flu infected dairy cattle, it has spread across over 900 herds and some people. Experts warn that though a pandemic isn't inevitable, the situation is concerning. Mismanagement akin to that seen in the Covid-19 pandemic—characterized by poor guidelines and testing—has hindered containment efforts. Instances of mild reinfection in Idaho indicate that the virus might circulate indefinitely on farms, raising fears of it mutating into a more virulent strain, according to evolutionary biologist Louise Moncla.
Reinfections suggest that the virus, called H5N1, could circulate on farms indefinitely, creating opportunities for it to evolve into a more dangerous form.
Inadequate testing and long delays in releasing data echo the missteps during the Covid-19 pandemic, which have squandered opportunities for containing the outbreak.
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