The news about H5N1 avian influenza — bird flu — has been evolving over the past couple of years, from stories about affected wild birds, to infected domestic flocks, and then, suddenly, dairy cows were getting infected with bird flu. In humans, H5N1 has only affected people with direct contact with livestock, so it may still seem like a low priority for people who don’t spend time on farms.

If we can learn a lesson from COVID-19, that lesson should be that preventing a pandemic is a far better approach than trying to control and treat one. Stopping H5N1 from gaining traction in humans is the best way to avoid its potentially catastrophic global spread.

Today in The Conversation Canada, Matthew Miller of McMaster University explains that right now is our opportunity to prevent a potential new pandemic, and outlines what needs to be done to accomplish that goal.

“The actions taken now will determine whether the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 outbreak already affecting birds and mammals around the world takes hold in humans,” Miller says. “Given what we just experienced with COVID-19, letting bird flu take hold in humans would represent a spectacular failure to learn our lesson.”

Also today:

• China’s war games near Taiwan threaten international peace and security
• 100 years ago, our understanding of the universe exploded
• Ontario’s expansion of alcohol to convenience stores is a covert union avoidance strategy
• Canada must make communication more inclusive for deaf people
• How the health of honeybee hives can inform environmental policies in Canadian cities

All the best.