evidence: The United States is in the middle of an unprecedented bout of bird flu, also known as H5N1. Since 2022, the virus has killed millions of birds and spread to mammals, including cows. Dairy farms are struggling to contain outbreaks. A few humans have fallen sick, too—mostly farmworkers who spend a lot of time near chickens or cows—but Americans have largely remained nonplussed by bird flu. No one in the U.S. has died or gotten seriously sick, and the risk to us is considered low, because humans rarely spread the virus to others. [...] Bird flu doesn’t seem like a winning message for either candidate. Talk of preparing for any type of infectious disease triggers the fears of uncertainty, isolation, and inconvenience that Americans are still trying to shake after the pandemic. It’s hard to imagine either Trump or Harris starting their presidency by instituting the prevention measures that so many people have grown to hate. Unfortunately, the next commander in chief may not have a choice.