Summary

A new H5N1 bird flu variant has become “endemic in cows,” with cases detected in Nevada and Arizona, raising concerns about human transmission.

Experts warn that without intervention, the outbreak will continue, but Trump has cut CDC staff and halted flu vaccination campaigns.

The virus’s spread coincides with a severe flu season, increasing the risk of mutation.

The administration has also stopped sharing flu data with the WHO and shifted its containment strategy away from culling infected poultry, raising fears of inadequate response.

  • CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world
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    4 hours ago

    This is seriously the dumbest and probably most preventable timeline. Well, except for all the goddamn idiots and apathetic people in the country.

    Sigh.

  • iAvicenna@lemmy.world
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    12 hours ago

    People confusing this with COVID might be in for a surprise because if this becomes a human pandemic it will likely be much worse.

    • CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world
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      4 hours ago

      Agreed. Maybe if we didn’t have so many goddamn Republicans, especially with power and platforms. Even under Kamala, it’d be bad, but with these chucklefucks in charge right now…

    • SecondaryAnnetagonist@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      11 hours ago

      The difference being that Covid took a scientific breakthrough to make a vaccine for (as various factors about the virus were unprecedented) while flu variants are very much a known thing as far as virology goes.

      The feds already have a reserve of human-safe H5N1 vaccines, the only thing preventing them from using that when SHTF is ideology. It will be both completely prepared for and completely preventable.

      • piecat@lemmy.world
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        8 hours ago

        You think we’ll have enough?

        Fascists are actively slashing funding, firing experts, cutting programs. Research labs are currently in shambles. The future secretary of health is a fucking anti-vaxer.

        You thought covid was bad? We’re going to experience a pandemic with no government action first hand.

      • iAvicenna@lemmy.world
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        9 hours ago

        assuming the strain used in that reserve will be effective against whatever variant makes a breakthrough to humans. note that current H5 vaccine candidates are determined based on animal studies and a variant that jumps from an animal to a human might show substantial variation that we could need to change the strain in the vaccines. it would be faster than before thanks to mRNA vaccines but I would think that even just within the USA, a sufficient roll out with an updated vaccine would at best take a couple months assuming people would be willing to get vaccinated. Between the antivax people in US and parts of the world not receiving vaccine quickly enough, there would be ample room for such a H5 to take hold and have devastating effects. Covid could still seem like a walk in the park despite having mRNA tech ready to go now.

  • Railcar8095@lemm.ee
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    17 hours ago

    After fucking it up on a global pandemic there were people attacking the Capitol to defend him. He’s just trying to repeat that achievement.

  • collapse_already@lemmy.ml
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    20 hours ago

    Up next repealing regulations preventing farmers from selling downer cows. Can’t afford not to sell infected meat. Grocery prices are already too high. What could go wrong?

  • Krik@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    23 hours ago

    Maybe Idiocracy won’t happen. The stupid ones should wipe themselves out in a pandemic. We just need to wait for the right one.

    • TeraByteMarx@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      5 hours ago

      Idiocracy is trash for babies, up your socially critical media game.

      The first pandemic is still killing disabled people.

  • rocket_dragon@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    2 days ago

    Aw shit, here we go again.

    Calling it now: we have another pandemic during Trump’s current term.

    Conspiracy theorists will go “isn’t it weird there’s always a pandemic while trump is president, must be the Democrats/Jews/Illuminati/“The Regime” controlling everything, Plandemic am a right?”

    Couldn’t possibly be Trump removing all safeguards against pandemics…

  • hark@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    Bird flu for the meats, tariffs for everything else (and probably affecting meats as well). I wonder how this will affect our food supply during Great Depression II compared to the dust bowl and tariffs in the first one.

    • CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world
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      4 hours ago

      Hopefully we don’t have the dust bowl as well, but I do wonder how prices for staples like rice and beans might go up if the meat and dairy supply is tainted…

  • dhork@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    Can this be passed through milk? Maybe the Fascism problem will solve itself if Bobby Brainworm convinces all the fascists to drink more raw milk …

    • Podunk@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      Dairy farmer here, who fought this crap off when we still didnt know what it was.

      Bird flu contaminated raw milk in cats, yeah it will kill the shit out of them. Its what helped us figure out what it was in the first place. Nothing confirmed so far as humans being infected from consumption that i am aware of currently, but i personally wouldnt try it.

      The dairy workers that got bird flu. It was pinkeye that popped positive for h5. Probably splashback from either milk or fecal. It wasnt really a big deal other than conjunctivitis sucks.

      But if you drink raw milk, you are playing russian roulette as patient zero at this point. Dont do it.

    • Cyv_@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      2 days ago

      There are cases of a couple dairy workers getting mild cases of bird flu from getting raw milk splashed in their eye while working, so yes it’s not terribly unlikely.

    • SlopppyEngineer@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      Government told people to never drink raw milk. The sale and consumption of raw milk went up in ivermectin loving circles. It’s weird reverse psychology with raw milk.

        • Revan343@lemmy.ca
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          2 days ago

          It’d be fine if they were just endangering themselves, but the most likely way we get a more virulent bird flu strain is one of these idiots catching in while they also have the regular flu

          • Serinus@lemmy.world
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            1 day ago

            And then refusing to isolate or wear a mask. While being unvaccinated.

            They’re basically dirty people.

            I wouldn’t be surprised if they started refusing to ever wash their hands.

        • wolframhydroxide@sh.itjust.works
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          22 hours ago

          Yeah, let alone inject it, or try to cure disease with a lightbulb suppository! I’m so glad americans are all rational people, and there’s not a significant voting bloc of willfully misinformed dingbats ready to slurp down whatever obvious idiotic lie gets shat out in their general direction by their orange fuhrer!

    • Kalysta@lemm.ee
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      1 day ago

      Yes it can be and the problem is these idiots are also gonna give that milk to their children. Who don’t deserve to suffer for the sins of their parents.

  • Hyphlosion@lemm.ee
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    2 days ago

    I’m back on the carnivore diet because it’s been really the only thing to help with my long-covid that has been on my ass ever since the pandemic started.

    And now this is going to make that harder.

    The same guy I hold responsible for my long-covid is going to get me fucked up yet again. How’s that for irony?