A person holds a test tube labelled "Bird Flu", in this picture illustration, on Jan 14, 2023.
The earlier the warning of a jump to humans, the sooner global health officials can take steps to protect people by launching vaccine development, wide-scale testing and containment measures.is currently limited to testing herds before they cross state lines. State testing efforts are inconsistent, while testing of people exposed to sick cattle is scant, government health officials and pandemic flu experts told Reuters.
Marrazzo described the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s human flu surveillance network as"really a passive reporting, passive presentation mechanism." The US Department of Agriculture is more proactive in testing cows, but does not make public which farms are affected, she said.Several experts said differing approaches from animal and human health agencies could hamper a quicker response.
The CDC in a statement said it,"USDA, and state and local health departments across the country have been preparing for the emergence of a novel influenza virus for nearly 2 decades and continually monitor for even the smallest changes in the virus."Some pandemics, including COVID-19, arrive with little warning.
Other experts said there is sufficient concern to start preparing for potential spread in humans, although triggers for taking action differ depending on the role played in the response, said Richard Hatchett, chief executive of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations . His organisation acted early on funding COVID vaccine development, and is now in talks with research partners about H5N1.