H5N1 bird flu poses a potential threat, potentially leading to an airborne pandemic. Increased cases in the US have led to vaccine development efforts. Experts warn that ignoring this issue, like with COVID-19,

The research team, studying the efficacy of a preventive antibody-based therapy, found it successfully protects monkeys from severe illness caused by Bird flu (H5N1). The researchers realised the neutralising antibody targets a stable region of the virus,

Scientists were slow to recognize that Covid spreads through the air. Some are now trying to get ahead of the bird flu.

The team found that animals that had the virus inoculated directly into their lungs became severely ill, whereas animals that were infected through the nose or oesophagus did not. All animals infected with the virus still shed infectious virus particles, meaning they could infect other animals.

The CDC says more than 150 million birds have been infected with bird flu, causing major price hikes to eggs and the deaths of millions of birds. With the first human death linked to the disease in January,

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds has recommended an additional half a million dollars in state spending to support the development of vaccines for bird flu and other foreign animal diseases, according to RadioIowa.

The National Institutes of Health reports that avian influenza A virus, or bird flu, is now widespread in wild birds all over the world. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) also states that over 18 million birds have contracted the virus in this country.