Could the world face another deadly pandemic soon? Former National Institutes of Infectious Disease director Anthony Fauci thinks so, warning that a respiratory infection could claim countless lives. Speaking at the New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University on March 30, 2025, Fauci raised alarms about emerging threats like bird flu adapting to mammals, signaling a potential leap to humans.
A Respiratory Reckoning
Fauci predicted, “What is likely to happen… is the emergence of another respiratory disease,” possibly within the next decade or two. He pointed to coronaviruses, abundant in bats, and their ability to bind to human receptors, as reported by CDC. He also highlighted the H5N1 bird flu, which has infected cows, cats, and other mammals in 2025, per WHO updates, suggesting it’s evolving toward human transmission.
🚨 NEW – Anthony Fauci says "the next outbreak will be of a respiratory disease that's easily transmissible, that has a significant degree of morbidity" pic.twitter.com/psUrIGwB45
— Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) April 5, 2025
Science Cuts and Rising Risks
Fauci expressed concern that Trump-era cuts to science programs, including those at the NIH, could worsen future outbreaks. “My concern is that whenever that happens, the next outbreak will be… easily transmissible [and] has a significant degree of morbidity,” he said. This echoes warnings from Bill Gates, who in a March 2025 interview with CNBC claimed Trump’s reductions to health agencies and NGOs like GAVI could lead to “millions of deaths.”
Fauci Defends COVID Lockdowns & Mandates
— Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) April 5, 2025
"You needed to have physical distancing, which you know, people say lockdown. We didn't lock down. China locked down. We definitely closed a lot of things down ... In the beginning, it was absolutely essential." pic.twitter.com/oAsyzI4Yah
Covid Legacy and Controversy
Defending Covid-era measures like lockdowns and masks, Fauci insisted they worked, despite public skepticism fueled by 2024 revelations of pharmaceutical overreach, as noted in X posts. Now out of official roles, he continues to stoke fears, aligning with his past as Biden’s Covid czar. Critics, however, point to a 2025 Nature study questioning lockdown efficacy, intensifying the debate over his legacy.