There's a bird flu worst-case scenario that Dr. Mark Levine, the head of Vermont鈥檚 Department of Health, described to state lawmakers this week.
In that hypothetical worst case, the virus that causes bird flu infects someone who is sick with the human flu in Vermont. Those two viruses exchange some genetic material. The bird flu virus picks up genes that allow it to easily spread between people. Another pandemic ensues.
鈥淵ou can call it science fiction or science, but it is something that is potential, but we have not seen at this point,鈥� Levine said.
There's a lot the state and federal government is doing to prevent that scenario, Levine explained at a this week.
Right now, bird flu presents a very low risk to humans because most people who鈥檝e gotten sick from the virus have been in .
鈥�,鈥� New Hampshire state epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan told NHPR last week.
The fear of bird flu mutating and becoming capable of spreading between people comes at the peak of and as bird flu is circulating in wild and domestic birds alike: , along with backyard flocks in Swanton and Windsor, according to Levine.
To monitor for bird flu on dairy farms, the state started testing raw milk from farms once a month. Animals sold across state lines have to be tested. And in recent weeks, the health department started testing viral samples from every hospitalized flu patient in the state.
That鈥檚 an early surveillance measure 鈥渢o make sure they only have human flu and don鈥檛 have any avian flu floating around in their system,鈥� Levine told lawmakers.
He said one of the best ways to prevent his worst-case scenario is to limit how many people are sick with the flu through vaccination.
鈥淲e are not succeeding in that effort,鈥� Levine said.
The health department held over 50 vaccine clinics at farms this fall.
But : 34% of Vermonters received a flu vaccine this season, compared to an average of 40% in the past three years.
鈥淲e have a frankly lousy vaccination rate,鈥� Levine said.
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