“There is a very serious problem” –

Gabriel Imperiale

April 29, 2024

Avian flu in milk. This is the worrying news that has spread from the United States to Europe and the world. The virologist Roberto Burioni spoke regarding the virus and its danger, interviewed by Fabio Fazio on Che tempo che fa and his program on Nove. “Should we be worried?” asks the host; “Yes and no” replies the well-known immunologist. The reasons are multiple. Burioni first of all reassures viewers: “We reassure our viewers by telling them that it is absolutely safe to drink milk. The milk we find in shops is pasteurized milk – explains the doctor – This process not only kills viruses but also dangerous bacteria. What is not recommended is drinking raw milk: not for the influenza virus but for other bacteria that can be very dangerous.”

Then instead he places the emphasis on the discovery and warns those watching the program: “The virus has not been found. Pieces of the virus have been found – explains Burioni – which means that this virus has passed from birds to cattle and this is not positive news and must require us to be more careful”. “So what can we do to be careful?” – asks the former Rai presenter. “The human influenza virus has a very dangerous characteristic: it can mix with animal viruses and give rise to a completely new human virus – replies the immunologist – This is a very serious problem that has rarely happened, but when it has happened there was a pandemic.”

Pandemic for which, according to Burioni, we must always be prepared: “What must be done first of all is to avoid creating the conditions for this reshuffling of the genes which is technically called “reassortment” – says the doctor – We must be cautious by vaccinating everyone people who are professionally in contact with animals. Another thing that needs to be done is that we need to remember that those who love animals treat them like animals.” Here is a small dig at an influencer who “had an emu, an ostrich that was ill and smooched it – explains the virologist ironically – when an animal is ill, you have to take it to the vet and be careful, because diseases can be dangerous, even for man”.

But do we already know when the next pandemic might arrive and what the next virus might look like? “We cannot predict when the virus will come or its characteristics – says Burioni – in 2008 the virus was expected to arrive from birds and be very bad but instead it arrived from pigs and was decidedly tame”. At the end of his speech, the doctor leaves viewers with hope: “There is an element that gives us an advantage: in the four previous influenza pandemics, the virus gave a warning before the summer – recalls the professor – There it’s always been what’s been called an announcement wave. So if the same thing happens, we notice it and we have time to make even more effective vaccines.”