We're Pandemic Experts. Here's What Worries Us Most About Bird Flu.

Jonathan R. Beckerman via Getty Images Experts are concerned for farm workers who are most likely to get sick from bird flu. you might be able to give the H5N1 virus genes that make it more virulent in people or that make it possible to transmit more easily from person to person, and that’s definitely something we want to prevent.” rbkomar via Getty Images Experts say you should stop drinking raw milk to protect yourself from bird flu. Cats could have had contact with a dead bird that’s infected with the virus, raw milk, or other infected animals, with Davis noting that “we’ve been finding that the virus can infect mice, and so that’s a huge concern as well.” “I’m really trying to get it out there about the cats, because I think that it’s just so possible for an infection to occur,” she said. “So, anything that shakes up our interaction with wildlife is what potentially creates risk.” This includes things like deforestation, reforestation and land use changes, she said, in addition to “wild animals having more contact with humans, either directly or through domesticated animals, like cows and pigs.” “Ultimately, it’s about creating more opportunities for people to become exposed to wildlife pathogens allowing those wildlife pathogens to become adapted for infecting and spreading between humans,” Nuzzo said. Shutting down everything, as was the case with the COVID pandemic, is not how society should have to respond to a pandemic, with Nuzzo saying, “That is not what responding to a pandemic is supposed to be.” Instead, she explained that, to curtail a potential bird flu pandemic — or any pandemic, for that matter — the government should focus on preventing the virus from infecting more farm workers and killing people, getting ahead of it so it can’t mutate and become more contagious, developing medications, and improving indoor air quality.