If Bird Flu hits, we're better prepared than when COVID hit...

https://wapo.st/3xWtfxt

Leana Wen is a doctor & health expert. I think what she's saying makes sense. We shouldn't panic if bird flu hits, for a few reasons:

1) Personal Protective Equipment is more accessible - Masks, goggles, and gowns won't be as difficult to procure, unlike in early 2020. So, the population and healthcare providers shouldn't struggle to ramp up if needed for things like masks.

2) Tamiflu - This can treat bird flu if given early enough, and it can be given to people who aren't yet infected to prevent them getting ill. Millions of doses might be needed. But it's something that's expected to work against bird flu.

3) Vaccines - There are vaccines using multiple technologies could be ramped up quickly within months. This isn't like Covid, where we had to wait almost a year for vaccine development & testing. Vaccines for the bird flu already exist, and millions could be released within weeks.

We should be concerned about H5N1. But it's very likely that we'll be better prepared than we were in 2020.

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Here's how H5N1 was found in cows. Interesting video. You'd think the CDC or

Apr 30, 2024, 12:29 PM

USDA found the virus. Nope. Basically a vet was treating a bunch of sick cows. The farmer mentioned half his cats had also recently died. Cats were positive for H5N1. Then they tested milk and it was positive. Luckily, the cows don't seem to be dying much from it. But the cats are. Farm workers have also been seen having flu-like symptoms as well. Now this could have come from a cat who ate a bird who gave it to cows and the farmers. We keep concentrating on the cows, but the cats may be the originators on these farms.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N81wf0we3p0

And if you want to know how screwed up this is, farmers are refusing to let their cattle be tested for fear of having their herds slaughtered or being sold. You now have to ask yourself, just as I did countless times with covid, what is the science NOT BEING DONE that would provide answers? Here's what the CDC should do, assuming they're still "public health" and not top-secret need-to-know health.

They should do a proper, randomized, seroprevalence testing study among US cattle workers, particularly those on farms with cow herds known to have been infected. When people are exposed to influenza, they create antibodies, whether they ever feel sick or not. It is essential to know how many, if any, others have been exposed without illness. If 97% of farm workers carry antibodies, like with influenza-d for example, without illness, then this is a virus we don't need to worry about. If only 1-3% or workers are positive for antibodies, this is still a serious virus we need to watch.

Seroprevalence studies (as usual) have been done and published in other countries, but only with poultry workers. I saw at least 4-5 studies and all had numbers less than 5% (not good). But with cows and cats now infected on farms, this needs to be done on cattle farms here in the US. But I haven't heard a peep about this even being considered, much less done, and that's why this is so similar to covid. Hush hush. And the reason for that is simple. Wait it out as long as possible until it pops in another country then you can call it the Indian flu, or the Singapore flu, or the Brazil flu. No one wants to be the first outbreak, and it will be hidden until it can't be hidden anymore.

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If Bird Flu hits, we're better prepared than when COVID hit...

Here's how H5N1 was found in cows. Interesting video. You'd think the CDC or

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