Opinion: To deal with the next pandemic, the FDA needs an Office of Preparedness and Response
New evidence of the spillover of the avian flu virus, known as H5N1, to some mammals is again raising alarm bells, though for experts familiar with the virus, “none of them ever stopped worrying about H5N1.”
The recent death of a Cambodian girl from bird flu is a reminder that much is at stake. If H5N1 were to cross over to humans and ignite another pandemic, could the United States do it all over again? Could it get to a vaccine in just eight months, as with Covid-19? Does the country have the capabilities and resilience to do so?
