A Wake-Up Call on Bird Flu in the U.S.

At least, I sure hope it's a wake-up call, because if your bird flu response is "inept", you had better fix it fast!

From Stat News: Global health leader critiques ‘ineptitude’ of U.S. response to bird flu outbreak among cows

"LONDON — Seth Berkley, a longtime and widely respected global health leader, said Thursday that it has been “shocking to watch the ineptitude” of the U.S. response to the avian influenza outbreak among dairy cattle, adding his voice to a chorus of critics.

"In a presentation in London about vaccine development, Berkley, the former CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, raised the issue of H5N1 bird flu when discussing whether the world was ready for another pandemic following its experience with Covid-19.

“Are we better prepared?” he said. “We could have a long discussion about this, but I would make an argument that H5N1 has suggested that we’re not. I live in Switzerland, but in my home country of the United States, it’s been shocking to watch the ineptitude of just doing the surveillance, being able to talk about it, tracking the infections, understanding where we are. Do we have vaccines? Are they the right vaccines? It is really a challenge. So I’m not sure we have learned anything.”

"Berkley, who stepped down from Gavi last year after more than a decade leading the organization, made his remarks at an event about the future of vaccines, organized by the venture firm Flagship Pioneering.

“This does make me scared,” Berkley added about H5N1. “It’s one of the things that keeps me up at night.”