The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is only recommending people with symptoms be tested for the highly pathogenic avian influenza, or bird flu, because of concerns those without symptoms could test positive but would not be able to transmit the flu, an official said on June 13.
“We have ample amount and supply of testing, but ... if by testing somebody you’re happening just to pick up a stray amount of virus from their nasal passage but not actually detecting someone who’s clinically ill, who requires medication—who can pass it on to somebody else—then we’ve got to really kind of evaluate what we’re doing or accomplishing by that testing,” Dr. Nirav Shah, the CDC’s deputy director, told reporters on a call.
