Scientists are urging the world to get up to a lethal pandemic ‘unfolding in sluggish movement’ and take lively measures to stop human-to-human transmission.The warning comes amid an ongoing outbreak of avian influenza A (H5N1), or chook flu in dairy cows within the US. On April 1, the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC) confirmed what’s believed to be the primary mammal-to-human unfold of the virus after an individual got here into contact with dairy cows in Texas that have been presumed to be contaminated with the virus. Two months later, A 59-year-old man in Mexico died with a sort of chook flu – H5N2 – by no means recorded in folks prior to now.Earlier than his dying, he developed fever, shortness of breath, diarrhoea, nausea and basic malaise – signs in step with this infectious sort of influenza. Well being officers have dominated out a connection to the outbreak throughout the border, though circumstances have been reported in some poultry farms in Mexico.Circumstances have been reported in some poultry farms in Mexico Getty Photos Related or not, chook flu is trending within the flawed course. America Division of Agriculture has recorded 56 circumstances in livestock herds over the past 30 days. “It nearly looks like a pandemic unfolding in sluggish movement,” mentioned Scott Hensley, a professor of microbiology on the College of Pennsylvania. “Proper now, the menace is fairly low … however that would change in a heartbeat,” he advised Reuters. Federal surveillance of US dairy cows is at the moment restricted to testing herds earlier than they cross state traces.State testing efforts are inconsistent, whereas testing of individuals uncovered to sick cattle is scant, authorities well being officers and pandemic flu consultants advised Reuters.”You could know that are the constructive farms, how most of the cows are constructive, how nicely the virus spreads, how lengthy do these cows stay infectious, the precise transmission route,” mentioned Dutch flu virologist Ron Fouchier of the Erasmus Medical Middle in Rotterdam.This lack of coordination is making the prospect of a person-to-person chook flu transmission extra actual with each passing day. “I actually do assume it’s very seemingly that we’ll, at a while, it’s not a query of if, it’s extra of a query of once we may have a chook flu pandemic,” former director of the US Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC), Robert Redfield advised NewsNation.Hen flu may kill as much as 50 p.c of contaminated people, warns former CDC directorGetty ImagesAccording to the CDC, the unfold of the virus amongst cows is an indication that it may mutate in them, doubtlessly making it simpler for the virus to unfold to different animals and make the leap to people.Provided that Redfield places the mortality fee from chook flu, at “someplace between 25 and 50 p.c”, this could elevate alarm bells. In distinction, Covid-19 had a mortality fee of 0.6 p.c.Researchers have discovered that 5 amino acids have to vary their key receptor for chook flu to begin spreading between people like Covid.