Virologist Eckerle calls for bird flu prevention
In the USA, the H5N1 virus is spreading among dairy cattle. Isabella Eckerle, an expert on new infectious diseases, is concerned about the development. Without countermeasures, she warns, the situation could quickly become critical - and the virus could make the leap into humans.
German virologist Isabella Eckerle has warned of an expansion of avian flu infections among dairy cattle in the USA. "It's very worrying what's going on there," she says in an interview with ntv.de, which appears on Thursday, 4. July. "In my opinion, the situation in the USA is not under control because not enough testing is being done."
H5N1 is not yet "a virus with high pandemic potential," Eckerle, who heads the center for new infectious diseases at the University Hospitals of Geneva in Switzerland, emphasizes. But the question is: "What happens in half a year, in a year, or in five years, if we let the virus circulate unchecked in livestock populations?"
The US authorities must immediately take strict measures to "stop the spread of this virus and eliminate the virus from the cattle population," Eckerle demands. There are currently no indications of human-to-human transmission, she stresses. "If such infections were to occur - that is, continuous H5N1 infections in the population - we would be in a critical situation."
In the USA, diagnostic capacities should therefore be expanded urgently, the expert on new infectious diseases advises. Every lab should be able to quickly confirm or rule out such cases. And Europeans should also consider now "how our vaccine supply looks - if the virus ever makes the leap into humans."
*Note: For a lengthy interview with Isabella Eckerle on the spread of the H5N1 pathogen in US dairy cattle herds, see here.
Isabella Eckerle, the Virologist and head of the center for new infectious diseases at the University Hospitals of Geneva, has emphasized the need for Avian flu prevention measures in the USA, stating since not enough testing is being done, the situation is not under control. She further stressed that while H5N1 is not currently a virus with high pandemic potential, the long-term effects of unchecked circulation in livestock populations remain uncertain.
