WIKIMEDIA COMMONS | The first case of avian flu in a Missouri patient who did not have any known exposure to animals was reported by the CDC on Sept. 6, setting a new precedent and igniting conversations on outbreak preparedness and mitigation.
A Missouri patient hospitalized with flu-like symptoms tested positive for the avian flu in the first known human case with no previous exposure to animals, as confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Sept. 6.
Avian influenza A (H5N1), commonly known as the avian flu, is a strain of the influenza A virus that has infected poultry, dairy cows and 14 exposed farm workers since 2022 in the United States. In humans, symptoms include fever, fatigue, cough, muscle aches, sore throat, nausea and vomiting. There have been several reported cases of H5N1 globally since 1997, with approximately 50% of cases resulting in severe pneumonia or death, according to the CDC. However, the CDC labels H5N1 as “low risk” for causing a pandemic.
On Sept. 27, the CDC reported that the infected Missouri patient had recovered and remains the sole confirmed case of H5N1 in the local community. However, blood samples from a total of six health care workers who showed mild respiratory symptoms were collected and sent to the CDC, where they will be tested for the presence of H5N1 antibodies, which indicates if an individual contracted avian flu. These tests will be critical in determining if the virus can spread between humans, which would be unprecedented for this particular strain and raise questions about a potential pandemic.
Several public health experts have begun spreading awareness about the possible dangers posed by avian flu, including Dr. Jesse Goodman, professor in the Georgetown University School of Medicine and director of the Center on Medical Product Access, Safety and Stewardship (COMPASS), an interdisciplinary committee that aims to address and find solutions to global health issues. The JAMA Network, an open-access medical journal published by the American Medical Association, published an article by Goodman and several colleagues Sept. 4 detailing preparatory measures against a potential H5N1 pandemic.
“While you can say the current risk is low, to me, this is much more concerning than it was a year ago,” Goodman told The Hoya. “That risk could change very rapidly and that assessment is not a reason for not taking this seriously and preparing for the possibility that [H5N1] could sustain human-to-human transmission.”
Given the evolving H5N1 case, Goodman also expressed the need for outbreak preparation, as diseases can evolve quickly and cause unpredictable consequences.
“There should be much more surveillance, the CDC should have the ability to investigate these outbreaks and the will to do it. We have a vaccine that is still being tested, but if it turns out to offer potential protection against these latest strains, it could be offered to exposed people to reduce some of the risk,” Goodman said.
Lawrence Gostin, distinguished university professor at Georgetown University Law Center and faculty director of the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, said global collaboration and investment is crucial in enacting these policies. Currently, Gostin is negotiating and drafting a pandemic treaty at the World Health Organization (WHO) that calls for global unity in pandemic responses and the international sharing of information regarding potential outbreaks.
“We need global norms and funding to prevent viral spillovers from animals to humans,” Gostin wrote to The Hoya. “Prevention is essential, including regulating farms and wet markets, regulating the sale of wild animals and more action to prevent deforestation that brings animals and humans into closer contact.”
Meanwhile, individuals can take steps to protect their communities from avian flu and other influenza strains. Leo Shih (SOH ’26) said receiving seasonal flu and COVID-19 vaccinations remains an important preventative measure.
“While the seasonal flu shot will not protect against H5N1 avian flu, it will reduce the risk that coinfections (which promote the mutations that could make H5N1 dangerous) will occur,” Shih wrote to The Hoya. “Additionally, if we do find ourselves in the worst case scenario of a highly pathogenic avian flu with sustained human-to-human transmission, seasonal flu and COVID-19 will still be circulating, and reducing the burden on our health care system will save lives.”
Ultimately, while avian flu currently maintains its low-risk pandemic status, public health experts like Goodman still stress that the virus has the potential to evolve into a greater risk in the future.
“We need to take this seriously,” Goodman said. “This may not be our next pandemic, but we need to take steps now for this because if it is, we can save a lot of lives, and if it isn’t, we can be prepared for what’s coming next.”