Bird flu is a real pandemic threat. Are we prepared for the worst? | Devi Sridhar

Avian flu has caused concerns recently given step-changes in the seriousness of the potential threat.

H5N1 can still not transmit human-to-human the way Sars-Cov-2 or seasonal influenza can, which is why it’s considered low-risk.

But a recent Science article noted that the strain in cows would only require a single mutation to enable the virus to move from avian to human specificity.

This is the shift that would trigger governments to activate their pandemic preparedness and response plans.

Prof Devi Sridhar is chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh .

For now, unless you’re a scientist working in this area, a health or agricultural official, a farm worker or in close proximity to animals, or you consume raw milk or undercook meat.

But if the picture changes further, we won’t be able to avoid the topic.