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— OPINION — Events in life often come to describe essential eras. Our grandparents had the Great Depression. We had had the Vietnam era.

And so on. I am hoping this time, it will not end up being known for its respiratory diseases. The Covid-19 pandemic gave us quite enough of that.



It was comforting a couple of weeks ago when it was announced that respiratory illnesses up and down Colorado’s Front Range are running at normal pre-pandemic levels. Normal, dull levels are good. But then come these reports of avian influenza A(H5N1) on the rise among cattle in multiple states.

We’re told that human health risk remains low, but led by the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, government health resources are getting prepared for the potential of the virus to adapt to enable human-to-human transmission. CDC reportedly has two vaccine candidates available if needed. There is no evidence yet that H5N1 could spread between humans, but vaccines are essential for pandemic preparedness.

That’s not just according to CDC but also GlobalData, an involved data and analytics company. Influenza A(H5N1) is classified as a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus that predominately affects poultry and wild birds. The ongoing multi-state outbreak, only since March, among dairy cattle, affects at least 49 dairy herds across nine states.

The latest development is that bird flu virus particles have been found in tissue samples of U.S. dairy cows sent to slaughter.

The stepped-u.

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