Bird flu: the risks and prevention of a future pandemic - Richard Webby, PhD

Описание: Dr. Richard Webby from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital discusses the risks of H5N1 (Bird Flu) and the prevention of a future pandemic. Health Watch USA(sm) webinar. Aug. 29, 2025.

Abstract:
Dr. Richard Webby, a virologist at St. Jude’s and a leading expert on influenza, presented an overview of the current landscape of H5N1 avian influenza (“bird flu”) and its potential threats to human health. He explains that influenza viruses, especially those in wild migratory birds, are highly diverse. Most remain in their natural hosts, but occasionally spillover events infect other animals, including poultry, swine, and sporadically humans—though sustained human-to-human transmission has not been observed.

Dr. Webby highlights how certain influenza subtypes, like H5N1, have caused concern for decades. The virus first infected humans in Hong Kong in 1997, leading to fatalities but was contained by culling poultry. Since then, H5N1 spread globally through wild birds, leading to outbreaks in domestic animals and, more recently, a significant incursion into the Americas. In 2024, the virus unexpectedly infected US dairy cattle, a species not previously considered at risk, with human cases mostly limited to conjunctivitis in exposed workers. Despite this, the virus hasn’t shown key mutations needed for efficient human spread.

Control strategies focus on surveillance, culling in poultry, movement controls in cattle, and, in some countries, vaccination of animals. Human vaccines exist but are rarely deployed. Dr. Webby emphasizes that the economic consequences, particularly for the poultry industry, have been severe, with billions lost, and stresses the importance of ongoing vigilance to prevent a future pandemic. (AI Assisted Abstract) Health Watch USA(sm) webinar Aug. 29, 2025.