Barriers To Widespread H5N1 Avian Flu Testing Remain

NBC News (6/10, Maxmen, Allen) reports, “To become a pandemic, the H5N1 bird flu virus would need to spread from person to person. The best way to keep tabs on that possibility is by testing people.” Although “many diagnostic laboratories could detect the virus,” hurdles such as “red tape, billing issues, and minimal investment” could impede efforts “to quickly ramping up widespread availability of testing.” Right now, “the Food and Drug Administration has authorized only the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s bird flu test, which is used only for people who work closely with livestock.” So far, three human cases have been confirmed in dairy workers, but “researchers agree that number is an undercount given the CDC has tested only about 40 people for the disease.”