Scientific American
Summary:
Recent detection of H5N1, a highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza, in mammals such as minks, seals, sea lions, and dolphins, has raised concerns about the potential for it to spill over to humans and cause a larger outbreak. While avian flu has infected humans before, the virus has not yet evolved to attach itself to human receptors, and therefore, the risk to humans remains low. However, efforts are underway to develop vaccines to protect against potential forms of bird flu that could infect humans. The U.S. has a stockpile of egg-based flu vaccines for the H5N1 strain and is also developing vaccines grown in cells in a laboratory. The potential for a pandemic remains high, and scale-up and widespread collaboration across countries would be necessary to make enough vaccine.
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