The chances of a second global pandemic on the scale of Covid keep increasing. The H5N1 Bird Flu virus, widespread on US farms, is now just one genetic mutation away from adapting to humans.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/bird-flu-virus-is-one-mutation-away-from-adapting-to-human-cells/
33 Comments
Submission Statement
Despite its name, The 1918 ‘Spanish’ flu pandemic is thought to have first originated in the US. Now it seems history may be close to repeating itself. Throughout 2024 the H5N1 Bird Flu virus has been spreading among US cow herds and is now found in over [500 herds in 15 states](https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/avian-influenza-bird-flu/avian-flu-confirmed-more-us-poultry-cattle-more-500-herds-now-affected). If it spreads to pig herds that is an even bigger problem. Historically, influenza in pigs has been much more likely to cause the genetic recombinations that create human-to-human transmissible diseases.
There’s good news, and bad news.
The good news is that mRNA vaccines, in time, should be able to combat any human transmissible strain that arises – though it may take another global lockdown before they are developed and manufactured.
The bad news is that the human mortality rate could be much higher than Covid or Spanish flu. Some variants of H5N1 humans have picked up from animals seem to have near 50% mortality rates. We won’t know if we get a milder version until/if it happens.
The worst news? Stopping this spreading to US pig herds will require extraordinary care and vigilance from numerous government public health agencies and everyone working on farms. Just at the moment the public have voted to put clowns in charge of those efforts, who are also talking about shutting them all down. Hubris like this almost begs to be punished by disaster.
Is this really news to anyone? We have been under virus threat for our entire existence. I’m sure there are far more viruses that are one mutation away from disaster as well.
I am not sure populations could accept another global lockdown easily, and not without serious consequences that could be worse than the virus itself(on a political level)
Let me live in denial, god damn it!
Yeah you’re right, covid was a good practice run, but 1% fatality rate is NOTHING compared to what could be coming soon
Also… You forgot to mention that new unknown deadly diseases in Congo that has infected a couple hundred people in the past few days.
Oh well!
Chances are always 100% – The question is not “if” but “when”.
Good that the US has a clown in a responsible role for what is to come …
A “once in a lifetime” pandemic they said. Another covid era lie.
We’re at h5n1 now? I remember the h1n1 scare when I was still in school
We already have vaccines ready to go for this, we’ve got several million in storage in the UK alone.
It isn’t a novel virus like covid, so I wouldn’t panic.
The next pandemic is going to kill so many more people because of the misinformation spread on social media. There’s now a complete lack of trust and people won’t follow orders or recommendations.
Wonder if the DOGE division knows about this? There is an idle Cybertruck assembly line that could be cranking out face masks.
i wish we would go in lockdown again, those were the 2 best years of my life
I always worried that COVID happening under Trump wasn’t an accident, it was just practice for them eliminating a large portion of humanity. The elites will of course have the antidote in advance.
Why do I feel like I’m being prepped for another pandemic? Do they know something or not?
I mean. It’s also one mutation away from becoming entirely not lethal. The more infectious a virus becomes, the less lethal it also becomes. Can’t multiply and infect new people if your current host is dead.
Which is exactly why I ordered more masks… I am so not hopeful about this one.
Do they not vaccinate animals? Seems like it would be easier than getting humans to do it after it jumps to us.
A fully plant-based food system would not have this issue. Even if you can’t bring yourself to care enough about animals not to exploit them for their sake, stop eating them for the sake of the rest of humanity.
Fingers crossed. Thankfully all my climate change preps will come in handly when I bunker down. Will be a quieter world when I come out of seclusion.
Well, nothing i can personally do, so i’d rather not waste anxiety points on this one until it’s actually needed.
As a non medical person I wonder even though something like H5N1 has the potential to make the biological jump to humans, don’t we have far more research into influenzas and would that make making a vaccine easier? I know there are a million different factors that revolve around this like overworked medical professionals, the political ramifications, economics, etc but my question is would we be better prepared for an influenza type virus?
I think a lot of people don’t recognize that it doesn’t have to be a virus that affects you directly.
If a virus broke out that hits chickens, cows, goats and pigs it would cripple the global food supply chain and would pose a direct and very real global food crisis.
There is also no reason why a disease that hits grains can’t spread either, we could be without major crops in a span of a few weeks and that would the point we actually realize what is happening.
I come from an technical background and back-ups, alternative solutions and teamwork is the foundation of everything I work on. It is insane, and scary, how our society always on the edge. Especially I believe we can do better.
Fuck it bro, Imma sneak up on that shit with a silencer and be all pew pew pew problem solved aiiight!
Do we think the vaccine will actually work this time if there is one?
“It’s only a 50% lethality rate, just infect everyone and let those who survive continue to work!”
-Republicans
It’s almost as if the planet knows it has an infestation and is doing what it can to get rid of it. It’s probably more our high density factory farming techniques.
Luckily we have an incoming presidential administration that cares greatly about science
Increasing? What’s the metric? Covid was not the first deadly global pandemic. It’s just the first where the entire globe went into lockdown.
Bird flu again… what is it, 2010? No repeats! Cmon!
I just hope that the next one takes out all of the antivaxers.
Correct me if I’m wrong isn’t the big deal with these the r value? Like covid was so flipping bad because you were contagious before you knew you were sick.
I assume with the flu, if you get it, you’ll know sooner and won’t spread it to as many people?
Cmon you can do it bird flu. Bring back biological death and world peace!!!
Covid has a R0 transmissibility of 5.7
Where as the estimated transmissibility of H5N1 is about 1.6.
So it’s not quite as globally shattering. But they can start working on a vaccine right now. After everything we’ve learned from the science and response to Covid, it shouldn’t be too challenging
Now watch a bird flu pandemic and subsequent lockdowns be announced around January 20th, right around when Trump takes power and starts doing his mass deportation genocide shit.
Watch it happen