Apoorva Mandavilli

And it was just seen in the cattle in Nevada. And what they discovered is that it seems to already have a mutation that makes it easier for the virus to infect people. And the thing about that particular version of the virus is that we know of at least two people who've become infected with it who got very, very sick. So there was one person in America who died of H5N1, this patient in Louisiana.

And it was just seen in the cattle in Nevada. And what they discovered is that it seems to already have a mutation that makes it easier for the virus to infect people. And the thing about that particular version of the virus is that we know of at least two people who've become infected with it who got very, very sick. So there was one person in America who died of H5N1, this patient in Louisiana.

And then there was a 13-year-old teenager from Canada who both got infected with that version of the virus, and they were both sick for many weeks, and the Louisiana patient died. But the really worrisome part about that was that in both of those people, the virus continued to mutate while it was in the person and acquired some mutations that would make it easier for it to spread between people.

And then there was a 13-year-old teenager from Canada who both got infected with that version of the virus, and they were both sick for many weeks, and the Louisiana patient died. But the really worrisome part about that was that in both of those people, the virus continued to mutate while it was in the person and acquired some mutations that would make it easier for it to spread between people.

Fortunately, it did not do that. It didn't jump from them to anybody else. But it showed us that the virus is capable of doing that. And in both of these patients, the Canadian teenager and the Louisiana patient, one of the mutations was the same. Usually when you see that, it means that that mutation gives the virus some kind of advantage that it likes, that it's going to hang on to.

Fortunately, it did not do that. It didn't jump from them to anybody else. But it showed us that the virus is capable of doing that. And in both of these patients, the Canadian teenager and the Louisiana patient, one of the mutations was the same. Usually when you see that, it means that that mutation gives the virus some kind of advantage that it likes, that it's going to hang on to.

And so it's just a sign that the virus is good at getting to the place where it can become better at infecting people.

And so it's just a sign that the virus is good at getting to the place where it can become better at infecting people.

We may not be close at all. We may never get there. We may never get to a point where the virus has all the mutations it needs to set off a human pandemic. But what the experts I talked to are saying is every time the virus infects a person or a cow, it gets another shot at getting the right combination of mutations.

We may not be close at all. We may never get there. We may never get to a point where the virus has all the mutations it needs to set off a human pandemic. But what the experts I talked to are saying is every time the virus infects a person or a cow, it gets another shot at getting the right combination of mutations.

And the more chances it has, the better the odds that at some point it's going to get the winning combination. And if it does that, we are not ready.

And the more chances it has, the better the odds that at some point it's going to get the winning combination. And if it does that, we are not ready.

Well, we know from COVID that the number one thing we have to do to figure out how widespread a disease is, is to test. So over the past year, we've actually not been doing the kind of testing we would need to do to know how far this virus has spread. We have not been testing enough animals. We have not been testing enough people.

Well, we know from COVID that the number one thing we have to do to figure out how widespread a disease is, is to test. So over the past year, we've actually not been doing the kind of testing we would need to do to know how far this virus has spread. We have not been testing enough animals. We have not been testing enough people.

We have not been testing enough of the contacts of the people that we knew got infected. And we also have not gotten the kind of access to all of the samples we would need to see, oh, how much is this virus changing? How fast is it changing? What mutations does it have? So we're really operating quite in the dark. And that is not all on the federal agencies either.

We have not been testing enough of the contacts of the people that we knew got infected. And we also have not gotten the kind of access to all of the samples we would need to see, oh, how much is this virus changing? How fast is it changing? What mutations does it have? So we're really operating quite in the dark. And that is not all on the federal agencies either.

I mean, you know, when it comes to public health, actually, a lot of the authority on what can be done and what can't really comes from the states. And most of the states that have been affected by the bird flu outbreak have really not taken the kinds of measures that they would need to to get farmers on board, farm owners on board, make sure that people are tested, make sure that cows are tested.

I mean, you know, when it comes to public health, actually, a lot of the authority on what can be done and what can't really comes from the states. And most of the states that have been affected by the bird flu outbreak have really not taken the kinds of measures that they would need to to get farmers on board, farm owners on board, make sure that people are tested, make sure that cows are tested.

Like very, very little of that has happened.

Like very, very little of that has happened.