- cross-posted to:
- scientificamerican@rss.ponder.cat
- cross-posted to:
- scientificamerican@rss.ponder.cat
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. 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.
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Just in time for another incompetent Trump administration, perfect, millions more can die because they won’t take it seriously and wearing masks is for libtard pussies.
On the other hand a lot less will re re vote for him if they are more subject to the pandemic because they think its not real 🤔
Yeah. I really urge the non-believers to go hangout in small rooms with poor ventilation. Please make sure to wear no masks. You want to make sure to spread the fake-virus around as effectively as possible so that you can prove to us libtards just how fake it is.
I’m sure ivermectin or some other absolutely asanine OTC Tractor Supply meds will be used as you can’t trust medical professionals. Best to listen to some random Xitter account that your cousin Billy-Bob espouses is “the real thang”.
Such freethinkers.
Trump is in office and here come the locusts, again.
Interesting.well last time trump was in power. no reason to believe there is not going to be a pandemic in his second term. but this time we’ll all just shut about vaxing so the dumb people can wait it out until they are dead.
The people who want to rule the world are really eager for another pandemic because it will allow them to exert more autocratic control over people.
That’s kinda the opposite of what has historically happened. Black plague effectively killed many monarchys, and made “peasants” valuable again.
On the one hand, I don’t want another pandemic.
On the other, I want all the anti-vax and right wing idiots to go away forever. So maybe another pandemic would be a pyrrhic victory.
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