Scientists wary of bird flu pandemic ‘unfolding in slow motion’

Other experts said there is sufficient concern to start preparing for potential spread in humans.

Julie Steenhuysen and Jennifer Rigby

Scientists tracking the spread of bird flu are increasingly concerned that gaps in surveillance may keep them several steps behind a new pandemic, according to Reuters interviews with more than a dozen leading disease experts.

Many of them have been monitoring the new subtype of H5N1 avian flu in migratory birds since 2020. But the spread of the virus to 129 dairy herds in 12 US states signals a change that could bring it closer to becoming transmissible between humans.