Avian flu is infecting cows across the US via cow-to-cow transmission. Here's what you need to know about the bird flu spread.

A strain of bird flu known as H5N1 or highly pathogenic avian influenza has made a worrying leap to cattle herds across the US over the past month. This development has sparked “enormous concern” among health experts, including the World Health Organization’s (WHO) chief scientist, who warned of the virus’ “extremely high” mortality rate in humans.

  • @Riccosuave
    23•6 months ago

    If H5N1 continues to rapidly mutate and makes the jump to human to human transmission in the same way it has with bovine hosts we are in for a rough ride. A virus with a 50% mortality rate will unquestionably collapse the global medical system, and the global economy right behind it.

    • Flying Squid
      24•6 months ago

      Considering how many times in my life I’ve been told society is about to collapse, I think I’ll take my normal wait and see approach.

      • @Everythingispenguins
        15•6 months ago

        But you could freak out instead maybe it will be a fun change of pace.

        • Flying Squid
          6•6 months ago

          Eh, I out-freak outed myself 20 years ago when Bush got into office.

    • @Telodzrum
      15•6 months ago

      50%?

      That would collapse society. Power, transportation, communications, agriculture all rendered non function for years in a best case scenario. Where do you see that this has a 50% morbidity rate in human-like animals?

      • @Riccosuave
        11•6 months ago

        Here you go:

        “From 2003 to 2024, 889 cases and 463 deaths caused by H5N1 have been reported worldwide from 23 countries, according to the WHO, putting the case fatality rate at 52%.”

        Source: The Guardian

        • @Telodzrum
          11•6 months ago

          Well I hope the vaccine we have ready to go works, because a disease with the communicability of the flu with a mortality rate of 52% is absolutely the end of human civilization in any recognizable sense.

          • @[email protected]OPEnglish
            7•6 months ago

            I dunno about 50%, but Native Americans had a >90% mortality from European disease at the time of the Columbian Exchange, and it messed them up pretty badly.

            The Black Death killed maybe 50% of Europe’s population.

            https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Death

            The Black Death was the second great natural disaster to strike Europe during the Late Middle Ages (the first one being the Great Famine of 1315–1317) and is estimated to have killed 30% to 60% of the European population, as well as approximately 33% of the population of the Middle East.

            That didn’t end European civilization, but it was a cataclysmic event, left huge scars.

            Though they also had shorter supply chains and such, were maybe more-resilient to disruption.

            • @Telodzrum
              7•6 months ago

              It’s a matter of being different societies, occurring over different lengths of time, and being global instead of regional.

          • @Riccosuave
            5•6 months ago

            Unfortunately there is not a prophylactic vaccine available yet. Even if there was one we are talking about potentially hundreds of millions of dead in developing countries who would not have access to it immediately. I’m not trying to be a doomer, but I think the concern is warranted.