'I Could Make It Infectious In Months': Former CDC Director Sounds Alarm Over Bird Flu Experiments
Former CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield warned last week on NewsNation:
"I'm obviously most worried about bird flu. Right now, it takes five amino acid changes for it to be effectively infecting humans. That's a pretty heavy species barrier - but this virus is already in 26 mammal species, as you most recently saw cattle. But in the laboratory, I could make it highly infectious for humans in just months."
Redfield continued:
"That's the real threat. That's the real biosecurity threat that these university labs are doing bio-experiments that are intentionally modifying viruses - and I think bird flu is going to be the cause of the Great Pandemic - where they're teaching these viruses to be more infectious for humans."
Here's Redfield's interview:
On Saturday, we wrote about the increasing threat of the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N1 virus and the ethical dilemmas posed by gain-of-function research over the years.
Now, news about the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment monitoring 70 workers at a dairy farm over bird flu risks has sparked concerns.
🇺🇸 70 COLORADO DAIRY FARM WORKERS BEING MONITORED FOR BIRD FLU SYMPTOMS
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) May 13, 2024
As the bird flu spreads amongst cows, 42 dairy herds across 9 states have reported positive bird flu tests.
While scientists say bird flu has 'pandemic potential,' they claim the risk to humans is very low… pic.twitter.com/F46VtOkwvp
The latest count of the bird flu spread is 42 dairy herds in nine states. The USDA's testing on the commercial milk supply has found "fragments" of the virus in milk.
And then there's this...
"It's notable that Redfield made these statements just a couple of weeks after on Courageous Discourse we warned about the USDA/China Doing Gain-of-Function Work on H5N1 Bird Flu Since 2021," cardiologist Peter McCullough wrote on X.
Former CDC Director Robert Redfield:
— Peter A. McCullough, MD, MPH® (@P_McCulloughMD) May 13, 2024
1). “I’m obviously most worried about bird flu.”
2). “Right now it takes a five amino acid change to make it effectively infecting humans.”
3). “That’s a pretty heavy species barrier…”
4). “But in the laboratory, I could make it highly… pic.twitter.com/PYpKD2v0SN
As the source of the virus transmission to dairy cattle remains unconfirmed, the potential for human-to-human infections looms. In such a scenario, it becomes crucial to monitor the role of universities in gain-of-function research closely.