A panzootic that began in wild birds is spreading widely across the U.S., infecting poultry, cattle, pigs, and diverse mammal species. The H5N1 virus, commonly referred to as bird flu, is leaping across species barriers, evolving into new strains that could potentially become more threatening to humans. As scientists warn about the unprecedented nature of this global panzootic, the Trump administration’s actions are hobbling our ability to respond to it.
Developments are fast moving, but to date, the disease has affected more than 136 million commercial, backyard, and wild birds since Jan 2022, including 22 million in the last 30 days alone. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) meanwhile reports 972 cases in dairy cattle across 17 states, with the majority of California’s dairy herds infected. H5N1 has killed thousands of seals and infected both bears and cats.
The Toll on Farms, Animals and Humans
Poultry farms are incurring big costs to implement biosecurity measures. Worse, they must cull their flocks if even one bird is infected because the disease is lethal in birds. As a consequence, egg prices have risen by one-third to an average $7.74 since the beginning of the year. While the virus doesn’t kill cattle, dairy farmers must dump milk from an infected cow.
Dozens of cases have been reported in humans in the U.S., including one death, but most people infected develop mild to moderate upper respiratory symptoms. Conjunctivitis is the symptom most commonly reported to the CDC. Poultry and dairy workers are most at risk for infection as human-to-human transmission is not yet possible. Scientists believe that the virus spreads from fecal to oral contact, with wild birds, rodents, cats and possibly other mammals spreading infected bird droppings as they traipse across farms.
Humans are not at risk of getting the virus from pasteurized milk, eggs, or from properly cooked meat, according to the CDC, which has not yet developed or approved a commercial vaccine for humans. The CDC has however developed H5 candidate vaccine viruses that it could use to create a vaccine in the future.
While the current risk to humans is low, that could change on a dime. Every time the virus jumps to a new species, it evolves, and each new infection gives the virus an opportunity to mutate into a more virulent strain. What’s more, if different strains of the virus infect a new host at the same time, the genes of H5N1 could reassort into a virus that’s more deadly for humans. If a poultry worker, say, becomes infected with both human influenza and H5N1, in theory the virus’ genes could scramble, potentially creating a more severe and transmissible strain of H5N1.
The Trump Administration is Asking for Trouble
The U.S. must prepare for this possibility, and it must step up its efforts to fight the panzootic, which is careening out of control. But unfortunately, the Trump administration is dismantling our public health institutions and crippling our ability to respond. Though he launched Operation Warp Speed to fast track a vaccine during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, President Trump later distanced himself from that effort when his anti-vaccine, anti-science base began railing against the vaccine. In his second term, President Trump has put a vaccine skeptic in charge of Health and Human Services (HHS) as he decimates the federal agencies in charge of protecting the public’s health. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the new secretary of HHS has called for an eight-year break on infectious disease research. His anti-vaccine stance could impede efforts to develop a human vaccine for H5N1, should the need for one arise.
President Trump has further taken political control of CDC, by forcing resignations or firing anyone in leadership who is not a loyalist. He’s ordered vital data to be taken offline and has demoralized CDC’ workforce with massive firings, or “reductions in force,” use of administrative leave, and deferred resignations.
Massive budget and staffing cuts to not only the CDC, but to the United States Department of Agriculture, the National Institutes of Health, and the Food and Drug Administration are slowing down our response to H5N1 and creating confusion at a time when the virus is rapidly spreading.
For example, the administration cut 25% of the USDA’s National Animal Health Laboratory Network program, which plays a major role in responding to animal disease outbreaks. The program ensures that all the labs in its network across the country are conducting the same tests and following similar protocols to accurately and effectively track animal diseases, which is vital for H5N1 surveillance and prevention.
The U.S. should be investing more, not less, resources in disease surveillance. Similarly, farmers need financial assistance to implement biosecurity measures to protect their flocks, but with massive cuts to USDA’s budget, such financial assistance is in jeopardy.
The Trump administration has also silenced the CDC’s communications at a time when information must flow freely between state health agencies, farmers, and the federal government. State health departments and farmers need timely information about which geographies have higher risk so that they can take protective actions. While CDC communications have since resumed, some now question their veracity because a February 5 Morbidity and Mortality report originally provided information about potential spread of bird flu between cats and humans, but later vanished online.
On a broader scale, the Trump administration is blowing up international trade agreements and relationships with longtime allies at a time when we need international collaboration to deal with a global problem.
On Sunday, Kevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council of the U.S. said that the Trump administration was developing a plan for “biosecurity and medicines” and “better, smarter perimeters,” to control H5N1, but declined to give details. PEER will be watching closely to see what steps the administration takes, in light of its other actions which are undermining our ability to respond.
Tim Whitehouse is the Executive Director at PEER.
