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Expert panels/Panel forming
Panel formingRequested 2 Oct 2026 · answer due 72 hours after the last seat is filled · Illustrative

How an expert panel forms

Is the new H5N1 strain transmissible between dairy cattle by air?

There is no answer yet. Five of seven seats are filled; the 72-hour clock starts when the last two are. Until then, nothing on this page is a finding.

Seats · 5 of 7 filledMembers are named once they accept. Declared interests are shown beside each name.
ANReviewerInfluenza virology · chairAccepted
CBReviewerDairy cattle medicineAccepted
LSReviewerRespiratory epidemiologyAccepted
GRReviewerZoonotic disease surveillance · consulted for a state agency in 2024Interest declared
TWReviewerBarn ventilation engineeringAccepted
+Open seatVeterinary virologyInviting
+Open seatAerosol transmissionInviting
19 eligible experts invited · 5 accepted · 4 declined · 2 excluded for conflicts · 8 yet to reply
What the panel will readThe evidence pack is still being assembled. Panellists can add to it until the clock starts.
Air sampling in three affected dairy barns (2026)Preprint · viral RNA found in barn air; live virus not yet culturedUnder review
Milking-equipment spread, Texas outbreak (2024)Peer-reviewed · contact route well documentedIncluded
Ferret aerosol model, earlier H5N1 strain (2025)Lab study · limited airborne spreadIncluded
State outbreak timelines, Sep 2026Agency data · farms with no shared equipmentRequested
What happens next
2 Oct, 14:00Question received and checked: one question, answerable, no conflict for CitePep
2–3 Oct · nowSeats filling. 5 of 7 accepted
When seat 7 fillsThe 72-hour clock starts. Panellists rate evidence, draft and vote
+72 hoursStatement published here with certainty, dissent and a revisit date
Get the answer when it’s issuedOne email when the statement is published, and one on its revisit date.
Two seats open
Looking for verified contributors in veterinary virology and aerosol transmission with no interest in the dairy industry or the requesting agencies.See if you’re eligible
Requested by
Upper Midwest Animal Health Consortium · 2 Oct 2026The requester paid for the panel, does not choose its members and sees the statement when it is published.