Humans are in the crosshairs of a potential bird flu pandemic. In the age of RFK, Jr., are we prepared?

Scientists are increasingly concerned about a potential bird flu pandemic. The question is, given all the enduring uncertainty around the virus, what should we be doing now to prepare for the possibility? Can stockpiled vaccines save us? And, importantly, have we learned any lessons from a covid pandemic that still hasn’t entirely fizzled out?

[One lesson from COVID-19 is] the impact of vaccine hesitancy. Making vaccines might not be a problem—but convincing people to take them might be, says Khan. “We have an incoming administration that has lots of vaccine hesitancy,” he points out. “So while we may end up having … vaccines available, it’s not very clear to me if we have the political and social will to actually implement good public health measures.”

This is another outcome that is impossible to predict, and I won’t attempt to do so. But I am hoping that the relevant administrations will step up our defenses. And that this will be enough to prevent another devastating pandemic.

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