Scientists warn that the H5N1 bird flu (avian influenza) virus is mutating rapidly, weakening the effectiveness of existing antibodies and potentially increasing its threat to humans.  They also note that the vaccines created by humans may not be sufficient to prevent a future human pandemic.

Current research suggests that H5N1 evolutions may soon enable human-to-human transmission, raising pandemic concerns. That means swifter vaccine development is necessary as the virus continues to spread in cattle, poultry flocks, and wild birds.

A research team at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte has used advanced computational modeling to study how the H5N1 bird flu virus interacts with the immune system. Their findings show that the virus is evolving in ways that help it evade immune defenses, whether from past infection or vaccination, in mammals.

Published on March 17 in eBioMedicine (a journal within The Lancet family), the study highlights urgent concerns. As avian influenza continues to spread globally, it poses not only a serious risk to agriculture but also an increasing threat to human health. –SciTechDaily

The study’s lead author is Colby T. Ford, Ph.D., a visiting scholar in data science at UNC Charlotte’s CIPHER center and founder of Tuple, LLC, a biotechnology consulting firm based in Charlotte.

“If one makes an H5N1 vaccine with a previous vaccine candidate virus, the vaccine will have less efficacy, based on our measurements of how much the virus has evolved in recent years, Ford said.  ”As such, the team’s research approach provides guidance for keeping pace with a rapidly adapting viral threat.

In assessing the possible pandemic risk spurred by H5 bird flu spread and mutation, global researchers agree that “the avian virus (remains) high on lists of potential pandemic agents,” as reported in Science in December 2024.

Research funded by Bill Gates and Anthony Fauci also show that bird flu could become the next “deadly pandemic.”

Research Funded By Fauci And Gates Could See Bird Flu Become The Next Deadly Pandemic