David Quammen, a science writer who predicted a coronavirus pandemic in his 2012 book *Spillover*, is now warning about bird flu as a potential new global threat. He originally foresaw that a coronavirus from a wild animal in a wet market could trigger a pandemic — which later happened with COVID-19.

In an interview with the *Daily Mail*, Quammen said, *“I have high concerns about bird flu… it has the best chance of being our next pandemic virus.”* The H5N1 strain has already infected over 1,000 dairy herds, killed 168 million chickens, and caused more than 70 human cases — including the first death.

Although there’s no evidence yet of person-to-person transmission, experts fear that random mutations or reassortments could make this virus spread like COVID-19. *“These viruses have high mutation rates,”* Quammen warned. *“Each replication is like spinning a roulette wheel. And if you spin it a billion times, eventually it will happen.”*

The Global Virus Network urges global governments to boost surveillance and biosecurity to prevent another disaster. Quammen stresses, *“It’s not certain bird flu will be the next pandemic… but it’s a very, very distinct possibility.”*