The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) informed legislators on Wednesday that the agency is making preparatory measures in case the current avian flu is able to mutate and transmit to humans on a massive scale.

Bird flu, known as H5N1, is often deadly in poultry and can be transmitted to other bird and animal species. The recent outbreak has occurred in dairy cows, alerting experts as to the possibility of wider contamination. The mortality rate for cattle is less than 1%.

FDA Commissioner Robert Califf told the Senate Appropriations Committee that although risk to the public is low, early investment is critical: “If we institute the countermeasures now, and reduce the spread of the virus … we’re much less likely to see a mutation that jumps to humans for which we’re ill-prepared.”

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