SCIENTISTS are increasingly worried that gaps in bird flu surveillance could hinder efforts to prevent a new pandemic, according to Reuters interviews with several disease experts.
Since 2020, researchers have monitored a new H5N1 avian flu subtype in migratory birds.
However, the virus' spread to 129 dairy herds across 12 US states suggests it could become transmissible between humans.
Infections have also been detected in various mammals, including alpacas and house cats.
"It almost seems like a pandemic unfolding in slow motion," said Scott Hensley, a microbiology professor at the University of Pennsylvania.
While the current threat is low, early detection of human transmission is crucial for timely vaccine development, testing, and containment measures.
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