Scholar researchers Mayisha Alam (L) and Swazi Tshabalala (R) acquire samples as a part of their work with the nonprofit BioBus.
Christine Marizzi/BioBus
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Christine Marizzi/BioBus
Scholar researchers Mayisha Alam (L) and Swazi Tshabalala (R) acquire samples as a part of their work with the nonprofit BioBus.
Christine Marizzi/BioBus
Most viruses that develop into epidemics in people start in different animals. It is how scientists suspect COVID-19 emerged.
And now, lower than 5 years after the beginning of the pandemic some scientists are involved about one other illness that might do one thing comparable: hen flu, or H5N1. Over the previous yr, the virus has spilled into cows and different animals, and even contaminated some individuals working intently with these animals.
Some scientists hope to construct a extra resilient public well being system by discovering methods to detect and to trace viruses as they unfold in animals.
One crew in New York Metropolis is doing this by tapping highschool college students from underrepresented backgrounds. Collectively, they create a extra equitable area of biologists whereas in addition they sniff out what could possibly be the subsequent pandemic.
They’re serving to perceive the H5N1 outbreak. However simply this week, the CDC is investigating circumstances of a potential cluster of hen flu whereas others are piecing collectively what has develop into a panzootic — or a pandemic in animals.
Wish to know extra about pandemic surveillance or virology? Electronic mail us at shortwave@npr.org — we’d cowl it on a future episode!
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This episode was produced by Rachel Carlson, edited by Rebecca Ramirez and reality checked by Anil Oza and Tyler Jones. Kwesi Lee was the audio engineer.