FDA stock-piling jabs and tests for ‘possible Bird Flu’ pandemic

The FDA is gearing up for a ‘bird flu’ pandemic in people that could kill one in four of those it infects, the agency’s top official has revealed.

Dr. Robert Califf told a Senate Committee that officials were drawing up plans to roll out tests, antiviral drugs, and vaccines in the unlikely event the virus jumps to humans.

However, he emphasised that the risk of it spreading to people remains low, with only one person infected so far—a farm worker in Texas in March.

‘This virus, like all viruses, is mutating,’ he told policymakers.

‘We need to continue to prepare for the possibility that it might jump to humans.’ Despite his caution, the odds of such an event occurring appear slim at best.

Dr. Califf highlighted the worst-case scenario, saying, ‘The real worry is that it will jump to the human lungs where, when that has happened in other parts of the world… the mortality rate has been 25 percent,’ he speculated.

Bird flu reportedly appears to be spreading in cattle for the first time after jumping from birds. As the ‘virus’ spreads between different species, it acquires more mutations, potentially increasing its ability to infect people.

Fragments of the virus have allegedly been detected in products such as grocery store milk, cottage cheese, and sour cream. Officials claim these are safe to consume because the virus is inactivated during the pasteurization process, raising questions about the actual threat level.

Dr. Califf, speaking to the Agriculture Committee, stressed, ‘We gotta have testing, gotta have anti-virals, and we need to have a vaccine ready to go.’ His statements suggest a sense of urgency, but some might argue this is an overreaction to a low-risk scenario.

He said, ‘We’re in an enviable position compared to any time in the history of the world. Viruses are relatively simple, so coming up with a matching vaccine is entirely possible in a short period of time.’

The US already has a stockpile of about 20 million bird flu vaccines, which officials claim are ‘well matched’ to the H5N1 virus, and the capacity to quickly make 100 million more if necessary. There are also supplies of antivirals like oseltamivir, though the exact numbers remain unspecified.

Only two humans in the US have ever tested positive for bird flu, both having close contact with infected animals. There have been no signs of the disease spreading between individuals.

A total of 36 farms across nine states have detected the ‘virus’ among their dairy herds.

The CDC recently reiterated that bird flu has ‘pandemic potential’ in a new report published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

A study by the US Department of Agriculture released genetic data showing the H5N1 strain tearing through dairy farms has acquired dozens of new ‘mutations’. These changes could, hypothetically, make the strain more likely to spread from cows to other animals, including humans, and potentially render the virus resistant to antivirals. These findings remain speculative and have yet to be proven in real-world scenarios.