, Columnist
If Pigs Get Bird Flu, We Could Be In for a Real Nightmare
H5N1 has already spread to an alarming number of mammals. If it reaches pigs, it’s more likely to mutate into something that could threaten humans.
They could be next.
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The bird flu outbreak among dairy cows continues to generate alarm, despite reassuring news that pasteurized milk is unlikely to infect anyone with H5N1. Scientists can’t stop worrying about a nightmare scenario: that the virus will get into pigs and, from there, spark a human pandemic.
Pigs “are the perfect vessels through which an even more virulent strain could emerge,” said Nirav Shah, principal deputy director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at a May 2 briefing by the Council on Foreign Relations.