FREMONT, CA – JANUARY 6: Hundreds of people line up at Irvington High School to receive COVID-19 test kits on Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022, in Fremont, Calif. The Fremont Unified School District distributed rapid test kits to students and staff members at three school sites in the district.
But potential new threats are emerging — even as counties face budget cuts that could sacrifice future preparedness. As a public health emergency wanes, attention fades also, Rudman said.. Of the four people who have contracted H5N1, three had exposure to dairy cows and one had exposure to infected poultry. All U.S. cases have been mild, and none were in California.“It’s a red flag,” said Dr. John Swartzberg, clinical professor emeritus of infectious diseases and vaccinology at UC Berkeley.
“But there’s one big caveat: We’re not an island,” he said. “If we’re really well-prepared — but the U.S., in general, is not well-prepared — then it’s going to be difficult for us to carry out this plan.” And experts like Rutherford worry about fighting an avian flu with an egg-based vaccine, because chickens could be lost.