Lancet's Spillover Investigation: Bird Flu Claims Two Lives, Including Toddler
The Lancet has launched a scientific commission to investigate "spillover" events, where dangerous pathogens jump from animals to humans, in an effort to prevent future pandemics. The commission aims to understand the behaviors, environments, and policies that contribute to these events and develop effective risk mitigation strategies. The initiative comes as a two-year-old in Cambodia became the second person to die of bird flu within a week. The commission will assess existing strategies and develop a comprehensive approach to curb spillover events, focusing on both disease prevention and cost-benefit analysis.