The Money Mustache Community
Other => Off Topic => Topic started by: LaineyAZ on December 22, 2024, 04:56:53 PM
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California has declared a state of emergency for the spread of bird flu. Is this a Covid 2.0 scenario already?
Very nerve-wracking.
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Yes, panic now, buy TP.
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California has declared a state of emergency for the spread of bird flu. Is this a Covid 2.0 scenario already?
Very nerve-wracking.
Flu epidemics/pandemics are rarely a huge deal (if you are healthy - if you are very elderly or unhealthy, the flu can be dangerous every year). In my lifetime there have been multiple flu scares like this (as well as other virus flare-ups in various parts of the world like Ebola, the original SARS in ~2003, etc.). The swine flu infected roughly a billion people in 2009, for example, but it wasn't a massive event like COVID. Most people have forgotten about it because it didn't impact their lives at all. Most "new" flus are either not too different than usual influenza, or they don't spread well if they are a novel species jump. Plus - we already have antivirals and rapid tests developed against flu. It's not a totally novel virus like COVID.
You shouldn't be stupid about it - don't spend time around wild birds or their habitats, or hanging out with other animals that are a vector (e.g., cows) or drinking raw milk (see: cows). But it's probably not going to end up being a huge thing. If you're worried, you can always wear a face mask in crowded public spaces/public transit/planes and wash your hands if you want to avoid any kind of flu. That still works to avoid infection.
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I think it bears watching. I have subscribed to the CIDRAP newsletter https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/ (https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/). They have been working on influenza for decades and were a reliable source of information during the worst of the Covid pandemic.
It's never a bad idea to make sure you are stocked up on good quality masks, over the counter fever reducers and a couple of weeks worth of easy food.
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California has declared a state of emergency for the spread of bird flu. Is this a Covid 2.0 scenario already?
Very nerve-wracking.
Flu epidemics/pandemics are rarely a huge deal (if you are healthy - if you are very elderly or unhealthy, the flu can be dangerous every year). In my lifetime there have been multiple flu scares like this (as well as other virus flare-ups in various parts of the world like Ebola, the original SARS in ~2003, etc.). The swine flu infected roughly a billion people in 2009, for example, but it wasn't a massive event like COVID. Most people have forgotten about it because it didn't impact their lives at all. Most "new" flus are either not too different than usual influenza, or they don't spread well if they are a novel species jump. Plus - we already have antivirals and rapid tests developed against flu. It's not a totally novel virus like COVID.
You shouldn't be stupid about it - don't spend time around wild birds or their habitats, or hanging out with other animals that are a vector (e.g., cows) or drinking raw milk (see: cows). But it's probably not going to end up being a huge thing. If you're worried, you can always wear a face mask in crowded public spaces/public transit/planes and wash your hands if you want to avoid any kind of flu. That still works to avoid infection.
Unfortunately, this is not possible for us; gotta handle them as well. It's not optimal.
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Maybe? It’s certainly not great for the price of eggs, or the chicken farmers who lose their birds. It has a very high mortality rate in cats.
It doesn’t take much in the way of a mutation for it to be pretty bad.
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Maybe related: My Costco in Oregon was out of all eggs except for the five dozen packs. Holiday shoppers are also a factor, I'm sure.
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If the past 5 years has taught me nothing else, it is that the public is ready and willing to do what is necessary to Hmpth lok /.,sdf;kj Error Alert! [optimism failed to load, please contact your network admistrator]. Have you tried turning it off an on again?
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California throws a lot of stuff against the wall and some of it sticks. Will this? Who knows.
If this does become a big health thing my guess is America will be average in coping with social issues and excel at vaccine development and ultimate economic performance.
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Related:
Ex-Covid response chief says US setting itself up for another potential pandemic
https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/27/health/video/bird-flu-covid-pandemic-mistakes-testing-birx-digvid (https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/27/health/video/bird-flu-covid-pandemic-mistakes-testing-birx-digvid)
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Scientific American article, How the U.S. lost control of the bird flu
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/bird-flu-has-spread-out-of-control-after-mistakes-by-u-s-government-and/
Dammit.
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Looks like a good idea to stock up on masks and fill up the pantry and freezer again.
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C'mon guys. Donald Trump (the guy who solved Covid) will be president soon, with minister of health RFK. I don't think there's going to be anything to worry about.
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Looks like a good idea to stock up on masks and fill up the pantry and freezer again.
It's funny, I *just* stocked up on kn95 masks this summer because I didn't have any in the summer house and you can't buy them around here.
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Looks like a good idea to stock up on masks and fill up the pantry and freezer again.
It's funny, I *just* stocked up on kn95 masks this summer because I didn't have any in the summer house and you can't buy them around here.
Hopefully you won’t need them, but you’re prepared if you do!
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Looks like a good idea to stock up on masks and fill up the pantry and freezer again.
It's funny, I *just* stocked up on kn95 masks this summer because I didn't have any in the summer house and you can't buy them around here.
Hopefully you won’t need them, but you’re prepared if you do!
On the theory that just having a mild cold for a few days sucks people in my family have taken to wearing a mask around others when they’re sick. We just go with the cheap blue ones tho.
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C'mon guys. Donald Trump (the guy who solved Covid) will be president soon, with minister of health RFK. I don't think there's going to be anything to worry about.
There will be nothing to worry about. Thanks to the defunding of public health and the lack of any meaningful journalism, you'll never again hear about numbers of positive cases for flu, RSV, Pneumonia, COVID, or anything else. Millions could die again, and your news feed will still be about celebrity tweets, bitcoin's latest zig zag, viral videos, and sports.