Experts have raised alarm over the potential threat of a bird flu pandemic, warning that it could be ‘100 times worse than Covid’ and potentially lead to fatalities in up to half of those infected.

The report cited experts who raised concerns over the threat of a new pandemic during a recent briefing where researchers discussed the H5N1 strain of bird flu. The virus is approaching a critical threshold, and has the potential to cause a global pandemic, said scientists.

Dr Suresh Kuchipudi, a prominent bird flu researcher in Pittsburgh, warned during the briefing that H5N1 flu can cause a pandemic due to its ability to infect a wide range of mammals, including humans. “We are getting dangerously close to this virus potentially causing a pandemic,” he said.

“We are not really talking about a virus that is yet to make a jump, we are talking about a virus that is globally present, already infecting a range of mammals and is circulating. It is really high time that we are prepared,” Dr Kuchipudi said during the briefing.

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