In February 2020, as China grappled with a looming pandemic, Lidia Morawska warned of the airborne spread of COVID-19 through droplets. Despite her diligence, journals dismissed her insights. It wasn't until two years later that the WHO acknowledged this transmission method. Morawska's warnings have since sparked increased scrutiny on other airborne diseases, notably H5N1 avian influenza. As infections rise among both birds and humans, experts are concerned about the potential for the bird flu to evolve into a human-transmissible virus, heightening pandemic risks.
In early February 2020, China locked down more than 50 million people, hoping to hinder the spread of a new coronavirus.
Ignoring the airborne spread of the virus, they wrote, would lead to many more infections.
Dr. Morawska and her colleague, Junji Cao at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, drafted a dire warning.
If the bird flu gains the ability to spread from person to person, it could produce the next pandemic.
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