The spread of H5N1 bird flu among animals and the growing possibility of a pandemic
www.wsws.org
The developing avian influenza panzootic and the growing possibility of a pandemic bring to the fore the existential questions for humanity of climate change and the destruction of public health, both of which must be stopped in order to control the growing threats.

Importantly, scientists have determined that the genetic changes in the bird flu’s genome, that have accelerated the development of the panzootic, have been driven by climate change. A comment by wildlife ecologist Diann Prosser at the Eastern Ecological Science Center located in Maryland Laurel US and her team, published in Nature Microbiology in November 2023, titled, “Climate change impacts on bird migration and highly pathogenic avian influenza,” stated that “Climate change patterns appear to parallel an unprecedented global spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).”

The current outbreak in US dairy cows poses an enormous threat to human populations. This threat is being expanded by the US ruling elites’ program of trashing basic public health measures in the interests of big business with the continuing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. “Forever COVID” is being expanded to avian influenza, but with even more lethal consequences if it becomes a pandemic.

President elect Donald Trump’s recent selection of anti-vaccine zealot Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to head the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), as well as his appointment of Great Barrington Declaration co-author Jay Bhattacharya to head the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and television doctor Mehmet Oz to head the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), alongside other vicious opponents of public health to fill out the health agencies, clearly demonstrates that public health will be further eviscerated for the interests of big business, neutering the potential of science to solve these crucial questions for the future of humanity.

Edit:
Since 2003, 51% of the 903 people infected have died.

Currently, without a vaccine, there is the potential for this being a very grave threat.

Please take a moment to read this article and continue to pay attention to this issue. The CDC has a page here https://www.cdc.gov/bird-flu/situation-summary/index.html Given the situation with the US presidency, I would suggest finding other trustworthy sources.

I’ve pulled quotes from the article to express my personal opinion on the issue. That being that our increasing consumption of animals raised on factory farms, our reliance on fossil fuels, and general culture of over-consumption is contributing to both climate change and a measurable increase in livestock disease.

From my perspective, we are quite literally on the path of a death spiral. Everyone should be taking their consumption of animal products very seriously and finding ways to reduce by any amount. I’m not vegan nor do I intend to be but I do go out of my way to source animal products from smaller local farms. Please, take time to learn to cook for yourself using fresh foods. I believe quality nutritional intake should be the single highest priority for everyone.

    • @[email protected]English
      4•3 days ago

      According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), 903 people have become infected with H5N1 since 2003. Of these, 463 died, a lethality rate of 51 percent. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, with a much lower infection fatality rate, has killed over 27 million people. If a bird flu pandemic does develop, it would likely have a catastrophic impact globally.

      COVID had a fatality rate of about 1.5% and it caused extreme disruption to all aspects of life. Now we have a virus coming along that kills 51% and an antivaxer in charge of public health, who has promised to pull vaccines off the market. If bird flu hits, an unvaccinated USA will worsen the pandemic for the whole world.

      Oh, and:

      A groundbreaking paper published in Nature in April 2022, “Climate change increases cross-species viral transmission risk,” shows that climate change increases the probability of spillover events in which dangerous viruses come into contact with human populations, thereby increasing the risk of pandemics. This occurs when animals that naturally harbour viruses are driven from their natural habitats due to the ravages of climate change.

      Just the right time to put climate change deniers in charge of the government.

      • @[email protected]
        2•3 days ago

        it’s reasonable to say that 2003 strain is not 2024 strain, and out of 53 american cases nobody died

      • @Goodmorningsunshine
        2•3 days ago

        I sometimes wonder if a huge global die-off isn’t exactly what these people want and why they’re doing what they’re doing. A person like Musk I’m convinced would see a gigantic decrease in the population as a desirable or at least inevitable answer to the coming water wars, lack of resources, decrease in livable land, etc.