cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/23282836
Summary
The CDC confirmed the first severe U.S. case of H5N1 bird flu in Louisiana, linked to exposure to sick and dead birds in a backyard flock.
This marks the first backyard flock-related case in the U.S., though 61 human cases of H5 bird flu have been reported since April 2024.
The virus belongs to the D1.1 genotype, found in wild birds and recent cases in Canada and the U.S.
There is no evidence of person-to-person spread, and public health risk remains low. The CDC advises precautions for those exposed to infected animals.
Kind of zen tbh. Not because it’s not bad, but more because there’s nothing I can do about it atm, and it’s hard to accurately evaluate the risks involved. If cases start getting reported near me, I’ll probably start wearing a mask in public spaces.
I know someone that isn’t worried about future pandemics because of the success of mRNA vaccines with covid, but that seems too optimistic to me.
The first working Covid vaccine was developed around the same time most countries officially started locking down if I recall. mRNA vaccines definitely proved how fast we can accomplish this. I know the US at least was also heavily investing into vaccines for bird flu already since they deemed that to be the next threat.
Either way, I’m with you on the zen thing. It’s hard to worry, but given how fast our tech works now I’m not super freaked about it. Honestly I’m more worried about the government not letting me take the vaccine.
Lockdown was in the spring of 2020.
The first covid vaccines started being administered in very late December 2020, but were initially in limited supply and were given to first responders and health care workers first, then priority was given to the immunocompromised. The vaccines weren’t available to the general public until early March 2021, almost a year after lockdown.
In that first year, about 650,000 Americans died of covid - about one in every 500 people.
There’s a great 60 minutes interview with the husband and wife of BioNtech. They talked about having a vaccine in February already that was producing an immune response in mice and by May of 2020 they already started a trial. The speed that we went from first hearing about Covid, to lock down, to having a vaccine is and was incredible. The US already talked at one point about having bird flu vaccines made and stockpiling them for this exact reason.
Stop supporting animal agriculture completely so you can avoid the risk of future pandemics entirely as having animals bunched up in filthy slaughter warehouses is not sanitary proven by the fact they use antibiotics.
Take the 30 day pledge to take better care of your health.
animal agriculture
I think you meant, animal husbandry. Animal agriculture makes no damn sense.
avoid the risk of future pandemics entirely
Nature just does this. There’s no way to avoid this other than killing every living being that “travels”; plant, animal or microorganism. For example, look up the American Chestnut.
I’m kinda fear-and-doom burnt out TBH.
I would be worried, but we’ve got a lot of really competent people coming to run the government, so it’s all good!
No, because there’s still no significant human-to-human spread. All human cases got it from exposure to birds or drinking raw milk from infected cows. I won’t worry about it until it mutates into something humans can spread easily to each other.
Yes. I don’t know what to do about it on a personal level, but H5N1 is more deadly than Covid and seems pretty much guaranteed to get loose and wreak havoc.
I think Covid gave us the idea that we can have a big pandemic but things can continue, I’ll still get fed, nothing will collapse. Not every pandemic is like that.
