Bird Flu: Is It the Next Global Pandemic?

Today On Medical Grounds, we will be speaking with Dr. Matt Binnicker, Director of Clinical Virology at Mayo Clinic about bird flu. Highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses have been detected in wild aquatic birds, commercial poultry, and backyard flocks beginning around January 2022 in the U.S. To date, over 100,700,000 birds have been affected. Recently, cases of bird flu have been detected in 171 dairy herds, and there have been 13 reported human cases in the U.S. There have also been human cases reported overseas. Dr. Binnicker joins us to share his knowledge of bird flu, vaccines, and whether we need to be concerned about a new pandemic.

(00:09) Introduction to Dr. Binnicker
(01:12) Introduction to bird flu
(03:57) Morphology and rapid mutation of avian influenza
(06:47) The problem with pigs
(09:23) Human concerns
(11:11) Transmission through raw milk
(13:33) Developing a lab test for H5 avian influenza
(17:15) H5 vaccinations and vaccine availability
(20:33) Role of climate change in a future avian influenza pandemic
(22:27) What keeps Dr. Binnicker up at night

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