Concerns are growing about the spread of bird flu, including fears that it could begin infecting large numbers of people, causing a pandemic.
Far Nasir’s chicken farm in Maryland produces 800,000 chickens a year. The bird flu, which has forced the destruction of chicken flocks across the country, has not paid a visit, at least not yet.
“Any shoes that we take from the house to the chicken barn, we take them off in the computer room and wear a new set of shoes, and then put them in the bleach powder and then walk inside the chicken house,” Nasir said.
Poultry farmers fear not only exposure to their birds but also themselves.
A number of human cases were recently announced, including in Ohio.
“The storm clouds are amassing,” said UNC-Chapel Hill professor of medicine David Wohl. “This will become a problem.”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is tasked with making sure the problem doesn’t grow.
Over the weekend several people working on the avian flu were fired at the USDA, part of the massive cost-cutting the president is ordering across the government. But a spokesperson for the USDA says the agency rescinded those termination letters.
“Although several positions supporting HPAI (highly pathogenic avian influenza) were notified of their terminations over the weekend, we are working to swiftly rectify the situation and rescind those letters. USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service frontline positions are considered public safety positions, and we are continuing to hire the workforce necessary to ensure the safety and adequate supply of food to fulfill our statutory mission.”
The bird flu is also an issue for the Department of Health and Human Services, presenting a big test for new Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
“I don’t think we should wait until we’re in a crisis to think about how we manage the crisis.”“This is the preparatory time. This is where we get everything in a row. Our vaccine plan, our treatment plan, our PPE stores, messaging to clinicians, diagnostic testing, we can do that now,” Wohl said. “I don’t think we should wait until we’re in a crisis to think about how we manage the crisis.”
But thousands of employees at HHS have already been fired by the Trump administration and more dismissals could be on the way.
The president also ordered the withdrawal of the United States from the World Health Organization.
“We’ve not only cut off our ties, our financial ties, we’ve cut off communication ties,” Wohl said.
“That doesn’t help us. Again, the WHO has a major role in the world… the planet is so interconnected. What happens on one side of the globe does impact other people on other sides of the globe pretty easily, readily and fast. So we’ve got to work together.”
Nasir is hoping what some medical experts say could become a pandemic won’t come to his front door.
“It could happen anywhere at any time. That’s the stressful part,” Nasir said.
