Senator Gary Peters has sounded the alarm on President Donald Trump’s handling of the bird flu pandemic, warning that the administration’s blackout of critical health information could lead to a “deadly” outbreak.
The CDC was told to stop working with the World Health Organization immediately, while President Trump put a 90-day pause on some communications from authorities like the CDC, FDA, and National Institutes of Health (NIH). This has led to concerns that bird flu may eventually be able to spread between humans, signaling the start of a pandemic.
According to Peters, the administration has taken little action against the outbreak, which has infected nearly 20 million chickens, 1,000 dairy cow herds, and 67 Americans in 16 states. A deadlier variant, D1.1, is spreading in Nevada, having already killed one person in Louisiana and placed a teenager in critical condition.
Peters called on the White House’s Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy (OPPR) to take immediate action to ensure transparent and unified communication about the H5N1 outbreak. He also requested that health communications be resumed and officials publish additional data on infections, guidance on testing, contact tracing, and symptoms.
The CDC had previously published health data suggesting bird flu may have spread from pet cats to their owners, but it was swiftly deleted. Peters warned that a lack of robust coordination and communication could lead to human-to-human transmission, resulting in severe consequences.
As the situation continues to deteriorate, concerns are growing about the availability of vaccines. The US has a stockpile of 20 million bird flu vaccines, but the Biden administration has announced no plans to authorize a vaccine.
Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-14399419/military-vet-senator-frightening-way-trump-risk-bird-flu-pandemic.html