Déjà Vu All Over Again — Refusing to Learn the Lessons of Covid-19

This Perspective critiques the U.S. government's early response to emerging H5N1 influenza outbreaks in farm animals and agricultural workers, noting echoes of the systemic failures during the Covid-19 pandemic. Although H5N1 has not yet demonstrated sustained human-to-human transmission, the authors warn of dangerous revisionism and jurisdictional fragmentation reminiscent of the Covid-19 era. They spotlight weak surveillance, interagency turf battles, inadequate testing, and socioeconomic and legal shifts that threaten rapid response capacity. The piece emphasizes that antivaccine sentiment, reduced legislative support, curtailed public health authority, and increased political polarization have further degraded preparedness. Legal constraints, such as the erosion of Chevron deference and adoption of the “major questions doctrine” have weakened health agencies’ ability to act decisively. The authors call on health professionals to champion preparedness and evidence-based response in the face of mounting constraints and misinformation.

This Perspective critiques the U.S. government's early response to emerging H5N1 influenza outbreaks in farm animals and agricultural workers, noting echoes of the systemic failures during the Covid-19 pandemic. Although H5N1 has not yet demonstrated sustained human-to-human transmission, the authors warn of dangerous revisionism and jurisdictional fragmentation reminiscent of the Covid-19 era. They spotlight weak surveillance, interagency turf battles, inadequate testing, and socioeconomic and legal shifts that threaten rapid response capacity. The piece emphasizes that antivaccine sentiment, reduced legislative support, curtailed public health authority, and increased political polarization have further degraded preparedness. Legal constraints, such as the erosion of Chevron deference and adoption of the “major questions doctrine” have weakened health agencies’ ability to act decisively. The authors call on health professionals to champion preparedness and evidence-based response in the face of mounting constraints and misinformation.