Bird flu crisis: Trump, Biden officials begin talks on outbreak

Amid an escalating bird flu outbreak spreading in the United States, federal health officials have begun to brief members of the incoming Trump administration about how they’ve responded to the crisis so far.

Amid an escalating bird flu outbreak spreading in the United States, federal health officials have begun to brief members of the incoming Trump administration about how they’ve responded to the crisis so far.

“We sent them all of the information on our work,” said a Biden administration health official familiar with transition briefings within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

It’s the first indication that the two administrations appear to be working together to prioritize the H5N1 response.  

Until now, it was unclear whether the Biden White House and Trump’s incoming health team had discussed bird flu in any transition meetings. A lack of coordination between the two groups would have huge consequences, public health officials and infectious disease experts warn. They worry that the H5N1 virus has the potential to set off another human pandemic.

“You’ve got something that’s clearly evolving here in the United States,” said Dr. Cameron Wolfe, an infectious diseases expert and professor of medicine at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina. 

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/trump-biden-bird-flu-crisis-meeting-transition-rcna187190

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