Former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Scott Gottlieb and Luciana Borio, a former director for medical and biodefense preparedness policy at the National Security Council, wrote a Friday op-ed in the Washington Post outlining growing concerns for the White House’s approach to eliminating bird flu mutations.
"President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team would be wise to prepare for quick action after he takes office,” the two wrote.
“The Biden administration has been mishandling the outbreak in cattle for months, increasing the possibility of a dangerous, wider spread,” they added.
Gottlieb and Borio claim that President Biden should’ve initiated a plan to address recent outbreaks in a federal effort with more urgency than he did.
Few human infections have been linked to dairy or poultry farms, resulting in mild illness, but some say a new strain could develop in the coming years.
“Only in the past month has the Biden administration undertaken widespread testing of bulk stocks of raw milk to detect which dairy herds are infected, so farmers can take steps to quarantine sick cows and prevent further transmission on farms and into dairy products,” they stated.
“A program to compensate dairy farms upon finding infected cattle wasn’t launched until this past summer — a crucial step to ensure that livestock owners aren’t saddled with financial hardship as they identify compromised herds.”
Their words echo the sentiments of the Center for Disease Control, which has pushed for more bird flu testing among farm workers.
In the midst of a transfer of power, Gottlieb and Borio are hoping former President Trump will mitigate further bird flu infections.
“The incoming Trump administration has an opportunity to recalibrate the public health strategy. That should include balancing the need to counter looming threats and communicate openly and accurately about emerging dangers, all while ensuring that responses are properly scaled to the risks that Americans face,” they wrote.
Trump briefly addressed the U.S Department of Agriculture regulations and farmer concerns at the end of his campaign with Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. through a “Make America Healthy Again” promotional.
The former president hasn’t signaled any further priorities for the department or bird flu variations since. However, Gottlieb and Borio encourage the leader to do so in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Every modern presidency has faced a major public health crisis. During his first term, Trump confronted the initial wave of the coronavirus and the frustration that followed — fueled by a sometimes-overenergized public health establishment focused on suppressing the virus while paying too little heed to the costs and public backlash,” they wrote in the op-ed.
“Trump has an opportunity to show how public health safeguards can be judiciously matched to genuine risks, strengthening national security and mitigating threats before they fully emerge.”
