Preparing for the next Pandemic

Prepare for the withholding of information and outright lies

It is hard to prepare for something that you know nothing about. How many Americans know that there is a highly lethal version of monkeypox (mpox) spreading human to human in Africa? Almost no one. We are a few travelers a way from a disaster with this virus. Closer to home, how many people know how lethal H5N1 is to people? Almost no one. This is not because they have not heard of H5N1, it’s because they are being deliberately lied to by officials and, especially, the media. First, a quick recap of the facts. H5N1 originated in China where officials there lied about its origins (sound familiar?). It then spread around the world (presumably by wild birds). It has adapted to spread to mammals efficiently and further, to spread mammal to mammal. Most importantly, the case fatality rate is about 60%.

Lies about this virus come in several forms. Media reports have, deliberately, in my opinion, attempted to hide the threat posed by H5N1 by calling it other things like HPAI. An Ag industry group, The American Association of Bovine Practioners (AABP) wants to rename H5N1 to “Bovine Influenza A Virus (BIAV).” There is absolutely no scientific basis for this. This is strictly an attempt to confuse the public so that they don’t know that a virus that has killed 60% of the reported patients is spreading within dairy cows. Media stories continue lie about H5N1, as recently as yesterday. The Texarkana Gazette ran a story entitled “Bird flu strain poses no real threat to humans, officials say“. If you read the story, you will see that no official says this at all. However, they do link to a CDC informational flyer that lists symptoms of H5N1 infection but fails to mention the incredibly high mortality rate. So, we have government officials withholding information and reporters using these lacunae to assert absence of harm. What’s the real situation? The best reporting lately has come from Canada, perhaps because they have yet to report cases in cattle:

Michael Worobey, a researcher from B.C. who’s now head of the department of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Arizona, said these cattle infections may have been “flying under our radar for months,” providing ongoing opportunities for this virus to acquire adaptations that could lead to a flu pandemic.

“I think, in many ways, this is the biggest news story in the world right now.”

Why dangerous bird flu is spreading faster and farther than first thought in U.S. cattle. Lauren Pelley, Amina Zafar, CBC, Apr 27, 2024

Prepare for limited and very expensive meat

If large numbers of people start getting infected with H5N1 as a result of working with cows or consuming unpasteurized milk, as seems likely, you will see pressure to eliminate H5N1 in cows. This will almost certainly require a decrease in their numbers for a period of time. So, dairy products and possibly beef prices will rise. People will shift their meat consumption to chicken and pork raising these prices as well. Chicken costs are already rising because they are also succumbing to H5N1. This leaves pork. Pigs are not currently being tested for H5N1. What will we find when they are? Don’t forget, although government officials want to control the narrative, it is easy for independent researchers to test pork products and pigs themselves for H5N1. All you need is a thermal cycler, the right primers and some PCR supplies.

Food insecurity is rising, especially in the elderly. Older baby boomers had pensions that they receive as well as social security. Most of the current wave of retirees did not receive pensions. They also saved little, if anything for retirement. Hence, many will be totally reliant on Social Security. Benefits have not be rising fast enough to account for inflation, especially in food. In addition to preparing for ourselves, we should prepare to help those in need deed by donating to food banks and checking on elderly relatives, friends and neighbors to make sure that they are getting enough to eat. This is yet another reason to have your own farm. You can feed yourself and help feed others as well.

Prepare for limited supplies of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Currently, there are no shortages of N95s or other PPE that I am aware of. If H5N1 starts spreading efficiently in humans, expect that to change. Hospitals will be the first to want to increase use of N95s and other PPE. The general public, goaded by small-brained politicians and media “personalities”, will largely reject masks – until someone they know dies, which will likely happen a lot sooner than with SARS-CoV-2. Then N95s will get very expensive and finally become unavailable to most. You know the drill. Preppers don’t “hoard” PPE or buy it on the black market when it is in short supply. They don’t need to. They bought their supplies when they were plentiful.

Prepare for diversion of H5N1 vaccines to the elite

There are only enough H5N1 vaccines on hand for a minority of Americans. Don’t expect them to be distributed based on any kind of fair system. I still remember the swine flu epidemic and the diversion of vaccine that occurred then. Although it did not kill at a much higher rate then ordinary flu, it did preferentially kill children rather than older people. Yet, scarce vaccine was secretly diverted away from children and quietly given to members of the elite such as Goldman Sachs, Citigroup and Morgan Stanley executives. I remember reading a story about this at the same time that I read about a Texas girl who died because she could not get vaccine. I still remember the picture of her smiling in her colorful pajamas taken before she became ill. If Wall Street executives had consciences, they and other elites who jumped the line and got vaccine instead of this girl would be as haunted by her memory as I am. But since they don’t…

I will publicize this story over and over again.

Wall Street bankers at front of queue for scarce swine flu vaccine
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2009/nov/06/wall-street-bankers-swine-flue

Amid shortage, big NYC firms get swine vaccine
https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna33655838