Avian influenza has been hitting birds hard in recent years Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Concerns are rising about the potential for the H5N1 bird flu virus to cause a pandemic like covid-19. But the situation this time around is very different: we know how to fight influenzas very well, vaccine stockpiles already exist and we have robust flu surveillance systems in place. However, the virus has been infecting people, spreading among animals and mutating – keeping public health officials on high alert.
