Avoiding four fallacies in the fair allocation of influenza countermeasures

Since first detected in 1996, the highly pathogenic H5N1 ‘bird influenza’ has been perennially widespread in wild birds and poultry worldwide. Outbreaks among cattle in the USA and recent infections in other mammals, both wild and domestic, have renewed public health concerns. Moreover, the 2024–2025 influenza season revealed 70 confirmed human H5N1 infections in the USA alone. If another mutation enables H5N1 transmission between humans, severe consequences could result.