LETTER: Is a bird flu pandemic unavoidable? Some experts think so

Published 1:45 pm Monday, February 17, 2025

Is bird flu pandemic unavoidable? Some experts think so

The current outbreak of H5N1 (avian influenza, or “ bird flu”) is believed to have started in February 2022 with the isolation of the virus from turkeys on a commercial turkey farm.

Since then, the virus has spread unabated across the country, surprising many experts. H5N1 has been diagnosed in a pig (in Oregon), dairy cattle and domestic cats. Millions of farmed animals have been slaughtered in what has to date been an impotent and short-sighted effort to halt the spread.

The virus has infected at least 68 humans so far. Historically, humans infected with this strain of virus have about a 50-50 chance of survival. (For comparison, the chances of surviving a COVID infection are well above 95%)

The current approach to prevent a pandemic is failing. As bad as the COVID pandemic was in terms of human suffering, death and the economy, an H5N1 pandemic is expected to be much worse.

Programs are available to both help stop the pandemic and to better protect the public when it starts. As the virus starts in animals it makes sense to start there:

• Remove the intense confinement of farmed animals that promotes the spread and enables mutation of the virus.
• Invest in antiviral therapies (currently only one is readily available in the U.S.)
• Produce and stockpile antivirals, vaccines and PPE
• Education

If you are concerned about the government response to bird flu, speak to your elected representative.

John Lieberman

Southwest Portland