Following H5N1, pandemics, our response, & the response environment, since Qinghai in 2005. Enjoying afternoon tea until civilization falls.
Joined August 2012
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It’s never stopped spreading.
We have lax government interest in the topic, coupled with the belief on the part of dairy owners that they can handle it. So there’s little accurate government data and the business owners are content to let this go on and on as it has.
One day, however, the H5N1 virus may flip a switch and change, or partner up with seasonal influenza and begin to spread far more efficiently in humans.
With such lax oversight and few accompanying precautions, many of us who watch this space believe that one or the other of those two things may happen within the next two years. On the more optimistic side, IF science is allowed to return to the topic at that point, we might have a chance.
I doubt it. They’ve been busy trialing a variety of potential H5N1 vaccines for both poultry and mammals. Check the studies which are ongoing in conjunction with universities in the dairy states. AFAIK no one alternative has come to the forefront.
The current spread is cow-to-cow, via lax biosecurity. It can be traced. Cows move, new cows get infected.
The rodent populations near H5N1 outbreaks worry me. Very interesting to learn about the balance/imbalance between the big birds and these creatures.
K-in-CT 😷😷😷 retweeted
This goes way beyond general national defense preparedness. This has the earmarks of something urgent and much, much larger scale than anything previously contemplated.
Preparations of this nature and magnitude would only be envisioned for an attack on America from a major global power as part of a world war.
Given the urgency with which Pentagon officials are announcing this initiative, I’m worried that they know something is coming and they’re not telling us…
K-in-CT 😷😷😷 retweeted
Yesterday, a nurse was killed and a health worker severely injured after they were attacked while responding to an #Ebola alert in the town of Bafwasende, Tshopo province, #DRC.
Our deepest condolences go to the family, colleagues and friends of the lost nurse. We also wish a swift and full recovery to his injured colleague who remains hospitalized.
Everyone working to protect communities from this deadly disease must be able to work in dignity and safety. Healthcare must always be protected.
K-in-CT 😷😷😷 retweeted
Please read this
I also suggest re-sharing (the original, not this Post of mine)
Too few people know about this in enough detail to be as worried as I am
There is something really concerning (and disappointing) going on in the US right now.
A dangerous and preventable situation.
Let me explain.
nextstrain.org/avian-flu/h5n…
1/
K-in-CT 😷😷😷 retweeted
BSL-0
This is basically a classical dangerous Gain of Function (dGoF) experiment. I wish the US government would shut it down.
A while ago, Stacey Schultz-Cherry and I wrote a commentary (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/article…), that ends with this sentence:
K-in-CT 😷😷😷 retweeted
If the Pentagon is quietly prepping every major US base to run 90 days with zero outside power, fuel, water or supplies, the rest of us should take the hint.
Basic 90-day food & preps for a family of 4..
Food staples
> 50–75 lbs rice
> 25–40 lbs dried beans/lentils
> 20–30 lbs pasta or oats
> 20+ lbs canned meats (tuna, chicken, spam)
> 30+ cans mixed vegetables & fruit
> 5–10 lbs powdered milk or shelf-stable milk
> Cooking oil, salt, sugar, spices, peanut butter
Water
> Aim for 1 gallon per person per day (360 gallons total) store what you can + get a good filter (Sawyer/LifeStraw) and rain collection
Other basics
> Manual can opener
> First aid kit + 90 days of any meds
> Flashlights, batteries or solar/crank lights
> Toilet paper, soap, hygiene items
> Blankets, warm layers, basic tools
> Battery/solar power banks + AM/FM radio
Start small and build. Better to have it and not need it.
#H5N1
⬇️⬇️⬇️
There is something really concerning (and disappointing) going on in the US right now.
A dangerous and preventable situation.
Let me explain.
nextstrain.org/avian-flu/h5n…
1/
K-in-CT 😷😷😷 retweeted
This is basically a classical dangerous Gain of Function (dGoF) experiment. I wish the US government would shut it down.
A while ago, Stacey Schultz-Cherry and I wrote a commentary (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/article…), that ends with this sentence:
US: Bird flu has been spreading for around two months on a Utah mink farm holding thousands of animals. None have been culled, workers aren't being monitored, and the USDA says it doesn't regulate mink. So thousands of animals are exposed, workers could be at risk, and nobody seems to be taking responsibility.
theguardian.com/us-news/2026…
They’ve been letting that meat slide for quite a while.
These cows won’t constitute prime beef at your market. But my understanding is that a lot of dairy cow origin beef is sold to fast food and similar outlets.
K-in-CT 😷😷😷 retweeted
Just added the full 1916 “Harvard Classics, fifteen minutes a day” reading plan to my site, including all of the texts, with a brief intro for each.
My New Year’s resolution for next year is to read them all.
ALT https://teddyrookbook.com/harvard-classics/
K-in-CT 😷😷😷 retweeted
Contact tracing isn't punishment or blame. It helps health teams monitor people who may have been exposed and act quickly if symptoms develop.
#EbolaAlertKE
K-in-CT 😷😷😷 retweeted
TRUMP on HIGH GAS PRICES: We’re making money like we’ve never made before. They’ll say: President Trump is bragging about all the money they're making while people are suffering at the pump. I don’t give a damn. We’re making a freaking fortune.
K-in-CT 😷😷😷 retweeted
Uganda to impose 21-day quarantine on returning citizens with Congo travel history reut.rs/4zdyB20 reut.rs/4zdyB20
