As bird flu spreads to minks, sea lions and other mammals, scientists are on alert for dangerous mutations
NBCAPR 1 2023
While the risk to humans is currently low, there's no guarantee this will remain. Although it’s rare for the virus to jump from birds to humans, it’s already taken a step toward people by infecting several mammals, including otters and foxes. We could be a couple of mutations from a major health disaster — this needs to be taken seriously.
While every precaution should be taken, the media needs to be careful not to needlessly spread panic. Scientists are monitoring this situation, and we are nowhere near a human pandemic. Biologically, humans aren’t receptive to bird flu, and it would take a special type of mutation of the virus to become a threat to humans. Rather than solely focusing on manufactured problems, attention should be given to the existing effects of this outbreak on people's livelihoods.