H5N1 Bird Flu Isn’t a Human Pandemic—Yet
www.scientificamerican.com
Americans don’t like being told what to do, and many don’t trust government. These stubborn attitudes might turn H5N1 bird flu into a pandemic

When H5N1 avian influenza started spreading among dairy cattle across the U.S. this year, regulators warned against consuming unpasteurized milk. What happened? Raw milk sales went up.

Distributors of this unsafe-for-human-consumption product deny H5N1—which has the potential to sicken millions of people—is a danger. Dairy farmers decline to allow disease detectives onto their properties.

  • @chetradley
    6•8 months ago

    Well, livestock are definitely a major source of animal contact outbreaks, but I do agree with you that wild animals displaced from their environment as a result of land use change is a factor as well.

    And what is the biggest contributing factor in land use? Oh, it’s animal agriculture again…

      • @chetradley
        1•8 months ago

        Yes, but as you can see, growing plants to feed animals and raising them is a very inefficient use of land.

        • @[email protected]
          1•8 months ago

          most of that land is grazing, not cropland. and much of what is fed to animals is waste from crops after we have taken the best for ourselves.