As the world still grapples with the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, Dr. Deborah Birx, the former White House Coronavirus response coordinator during President-elect Donald Trump’s first term, has sounded a warning about the risks of contracting both the bird flu and the human flu simultaneously.
In an interview with CNN’s Pamela Brown, Dr. Birx emphasized that the threat of a mixed infection is no mere hyperbole, but a very real and potentially catastrophic scenario.
The primary concern, according to Dr. Birx, is that if a person contracts both the bird flu and the human flu, their immune system could become overwhelmed, leading to a catastrophic “cytokine storm.” This can result in severe, even life-threatening complications, such as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), acute kidney injury, and sepsis.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported a sharp increase in human flu cases in recent weeks, with many health experts attributing this surge to the highly contagious and aggressive H3N2 strain. Meanwhile, the avian influenza, also known as bird flu, has been spreading rapidly across the globe, infecting millions of birds and even causing some human cases.
Dr. Birx warns that if the bird flu were to jump from animals to humans, either through directcontact or through contaminated surfaces, it could potentially trigger a global pandemic of unprecedented proportions.
To prevent such a calamity, Dr. Birx stresses that it is crucial for individuals to take immediate, decisive action. These measures include getting vaccinated against both the human flu and the bird flu, practicing good hygiene, such as frequent hand-washing and avoiding contact with those who have been infected, and supporting global efforts to control the outbreak of both viruses.
Fellow global citizens, the battle against the bird flu and the human flu does not just concern us as individuals, but as a collective. Dr. Birx concludes, “(We) must take a unified, global approach to preventing the next pandemic, and (we) cannot afford to be complacent about the current situation.”