Saturday, June 28, 2025

Bird Flu’s Deadly Threat: CDC Warns of Impending Pandemic

News1

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States has warned that highly pathogenic avian influenza, recently reported in human infection cases, could soon become a pandemic.

The Hill reported on the 15th that the former head of the CDC warned about an imminent outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza, which has recently seen cases of human infection.

Robert Redfield, former CDC Director, appeared on NewsNation on the 14th, stating that regarding the avian flu pandemic, “I really do think it’s very likely that we will, at some time, it’s not a question of if, it’s more of a question of when we will have a bird flu pandemic.”

Redfield explained that when avian influenza spreads to humans, the mortality rate is much higher than COVID-19, “somewhere between 25% and 50%.”

The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that from early 2003 to early April, 889 cases of human avian influenza occurred in 23 countries worldwide, with 463 deaths, resulting in a fatality rate of 52%. In contrast, NewsNation reported that the mortality rate for COVID-19 is only 0.6%.

Redfield pointed out that the circumstances under which avian influenza could become a pandemic among humans have already been identified through past experiments and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Scientists discovered in a 2012 experiment that five key receptor amino acids must be changed for the avian influenza virus to bind to human cell receptors. Similarly, the COVID-19 virus also went through this process to become a pandemic.

“Once the virus gains the ability to attach to the human receptor and then go human to human, that’s when you’re going to have the pandemic. I think it’s just a matter of time,” he added.

In the United States, three people were reported to have been infected with the highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) through dairy cows from March to the end of May.

In Mexico, a man in his 50s became the world’s first confirmed case of H5N2 avian influenza virus infection in April and died within a week. However, Mexican authorities concluded that the patient died of sepsis due to chronic disease, and the avian influenza infection was not related to the cause of death.

Recent cases of human infection with avian influenza have been confirmed in Australia and India.

WHO has previously expressed concern that if H5N1 begins to spread in the mammalian population, the risk of spread will increase, and the virus could evolve to the point where human-to-human transmission occurs.

Hot this week

Dow Dips, Nasdaq Gains as Wall Street Awaits Fed’s Next Move

The New York stock market closed mixed, with Nvidia hitting a record high while Tesla faced declining sales in Europe.

Nvidia Stock Pops Past $150, Beating Microsoft in Market Value

Nvidia's stock rose to 152.36 USD amid concerns over export restrictions to China, surpassing Microsoft’s market cap.

Nvidia Soars Despite CEO Share Sale, Tesla Tanks on Robotaxi Trouble

The New York stock market rises as Dow surpasses 43,000, Nvidia gains despite CEO stock sale, while Tesla and defense stocks decline.

Gold Prices Plunge as Iran and Israel Call for Ceasefire

Gold prices fell as geopolitical tensions eased between Israel and Iran, with analysts predicting potential future increases.

Oil Drops 4% on Israel-Iran Peace Talks and Supply Optimism

International oil prices dropped over 4% due to eased supply concerns and a ceasefire announcement between Israel and Iran.

Topics

Dow Dips, Nasdaq Gains as Wall Street Awaits Fed’s Next Move

The New York stock market closed mixed, with Nvidia hitting a record high while Tesla faced declining sales in Europe.

Nvidia Stock Pops Past $150, Beating Microsoft in Market Value

Nvidia's stock rose to 152.36 USD amid concerns over export restrictions to China, surpassing Microsoft’s market cap.

Nvidia Soars Despite CEO Share Sale, Tesla Tanks on Robotaxi Trouble

The New York stock market rises as Dow surpasses 43,000, Nvidia gains despite CEO stock sale, while Tesla and defense stocks decline.

Gold Prices Plunge as Iran and Israel Call for Ceasefire

Gold prices fell as geopolitical tensions eased between Israel and Iran, with analysts predicting potential future increases.

Oil Drops 4% on Israel-Iran Peace Talks and Supply Optimism

International oil prices dropped over 4% due to eased supply concerns and a ceasefire announcement between Israel and Iran.

TSMC Delays Kumamoto Factory Amid Traffic Concerns and Market Uncertainty

TSMC delays its second factory in Kumamoto, citing traffic issues, but market demand uncertainties may be the real reason behind it.

From Tensions to Tumbles: Oil Prices Sink While Iran Avoids Escalation

Oil prices dropped over 7% following Iran's airstrikes on U.S. bases, signaling a reluctance to escalate conflict despite tensions.

Volatility Index Falls Below 20 as U.S.–Iran Show Signs of De-Escalation

U.S. stock markets rose as tensions eased between the U.S. and Iran, while Tesla shares surged following its robotaxi launch.

Related Articles