Are we at the edge of another pandemic? H5N1

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On 27 June 2024, 9:49 A.M., I summarized the approach to survive a very deadly disease called H5N1. Since that time, more information has surfaced and I felt an update was in order.

On 14 Aug 2024, 2:06 P.M., I updated the article in scope. It is no longer just limited to H5N1 but also another condition known as West Nile Virus (WNV). More than 30,000 people in the U.S. have been infected with WNV since 1999. Occasionally, an infected person may develop more severe diseases such as "West Nile encephalitis", "Westmosquito Nile meningitis" or "West Nile meningoencephalitis". These two diseases (H5N1 and West Nile) are like twin sisters.

Summery

I have covered a lot of information over the past several weeks on the next potential pandemic called H5N1. I have come to realize this pandemic will primarily be transmitted by insects, primarily Mosquitoes. Mosquitoes infect humans with a blood to blood transfer between infected to uninfected birds/animals/humans.

Mosquito-borne diseases include: West Nile Virus, Encephalitis, Zika Virus, Chikungunya Virus, Dengue Fever, Yellow Fever, and Malaria.

1. You can protect yourself from mosquito bites in two ways. If you spend a lot of time outdoors you can create protective clothing (boots, clothing and camping gear) that repel mosquitoes by treating them with Permethrin.

2. You can also protect yourself from mosquito bites by applying mosquito repellent on you skin. This will provide short protection (several hours) to drive away mosquitoes. There are a variety of products available. They include DEET, Picaridin, IR3535, Oil of lemon, Para-menthane-diol eucalyptus, and 2-Undecanone.

3. Another product that can help prevent mosquito bites is Metofluthrin. Metofluthrin is a pyrethroid used as an insect repellent. The vapors of metofluthrin are highly effective and capable of repelling up to 97% of mosquitoes in field tests. Metofluthrin is used in a variety of consumer products, called emanators, for indoor and outdoor use. These products produce a vapor that protects an individual or area. Effectiveness is reduced by air movement. Metofluthrin is neurotoxic, and is not meant to be applied directly to human skin.

4. Accidents can happen. What to do immediately after being bitten by a mosquito? Treat the bite with Tecnu Topical Analgesic Anti-Itch Spray (Diphenhydramine HCl 2% ). There is another product that can diminish the effects of being bitten by an infected insect. It is called ChiggereX. This product contains 10% Benzocaine.

5. If you become infected with H5N1 treat the condition immediately using one of four FDA-approved antivirals for influenza: (1) Oseltamivir phosphate (Tamiflu), (2) Zanamivir (Relenza), (3) Peramivir (Rapivab), (4) Baloxavir (Xofluza). These are prescription drugs and will require a doctors prescription. Time is of the essence here. This condition will begin to destroy the human body and make it impossible to treat within a few days. Time is of the essence.

6. Some people are very vulnerable to mosquito bites. These are people with open wounds. Just covering the wounded area with bandages will not protect you. Mosquitoes can smell your blood and you become a prime target. I suffered a small bleed and was attacked by around 50 mosquitoes in less then two hours outdoors. (Luckily I had protected myself with DEET before I went outside and as a result, NOT ONE MOSQUITO WAS ABLE TO BITE ME.) This may also be a problem for women who are going through their menstrual period.

7. Go on the offensive. Wage a war on mosquitoes. In general, mosquitoes live in a hot humid environment. They most commonly infest Ponds, Marshes, Swamps, and Other wetland habitats. So minimize their breeding grounds. Wage war on mosquitoes.

8. Use our friends. What, you didn't realize we have allies in our war on Mosquitoes? We have many friends. Some are birds like woodpeckers, some are other insects like dragonflies, some are fish like gambusia affinis.

9. Wastewater tracking of H5N1 can identify the specific regions in the U.S. where the outbreak is underway. One of these regions is San Francisco, California. This area could be Ground Zero of the outbreak. But we cannot monitor the threat because the funding for Wastewater tracking has been halted. But time has been wasted and H5N1 is on the move and Central Valley in California is in the epicenter.

Humans are pitted against an ancient enemy. They have existed on Earth for over 130 million years, even during the age of the dinosaurs - mosquitoes lived here. A New York Post article recently noted, “Bird flu pandemic could be ‘100 times worse’ than COVID.” In my opinion, the effects of H5N1 could be very similar to the Spanish Flu (now known as H1N1) that struck during the First World War and caused so many deaths that it brought the war to an end.

In the historic past, migrating birds were the long distance transport agents of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1. Seasonally they would move the infectious disease between the northern and southern hemispheres as the seasons changed from summer to winter. But now as humans have developed means of rapid transport, such as jet aircraft, the speed and distance this virus can spread is rapidly accelerated.

So where did this approach come from? Did you just make it up, take it from thin air?

Actually I wrote about it on Wrong Planet. A new plague was exploding in China in 2023 and I began to dig a little deeper and try to understand the threat.

Is this Round 2 of a new Pandemic?

This threat went by several different names such as White Lung Disease, Walking Pneumonia, Antibiotic Resistant White Lung Disease, White Lung Syndrome, Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. It was sweeping through young children and many became seriously sick and after they died their bodies were cremated. It also went by another name called Mycoplasma Pneumonia or more specifically China had unleashed a plague of Antibiotic Resistant Mycoplasma Pneumoniae Pneumonia (MPP).

Many of the children were having both lungs' involvement because of pneumonia and the symptoms start from upper respiratory infection and then it moves to lower respiratory track that is the lungs. Pneumonia caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae is often referred to as "walking pneumonia" where patients can still carry out normal activities while X-rays of the lungs show severity.

At this point I began to think that perhaps they were dealing with a very, very small bacteria rather then a virus. Bacteria can be treated with antibiotics unless a new form that is antibiotic resistance takes hold. That is what is taking place with Mycoplasma Pneumoniae Pneumonia (MPP).

Actually I was not the first to make this connection. A global research society unraveled this around 20 years ago. That led me to creating an approach to deal with this disease.

Bird flu cases in people quietly tick up, with dozens reported across 6 states

What is the difference between viruses and bacteria?

A virus is not a living organism and can only grow and reproduce in the cells of a host. Bacteria, by contrast, are single-celled organisms that produce their own energy and can reproduce on their own. Viruses only grow and reproduce inside of the host cells they infect. When found outside of these living cells, viruses are dormant. Their “life” therefore requires the hijacking of the biochemical activities of a living cell. Bacteria, on the other hand, are living organisms that consist of a single cell that can generate energy, make its own food, move, and reproduce (typically by binary fission).

The smallest bacteria are about 0.4 microns (one millionth of a meter) in diameter while viruses range in size from 0.02 to 0.25 microns. This makes most viruses submicroscopic, unable to be seen in an ordinary light microscope.

Source: 'Virus' vs. 'Bacteria'

So what is the main point? We are dealing with something that lies between a virus and a bacteria in the middle. It is extremely small and doesn't fit either. And it is about to explode into the world as H5N1.

The effect of H5N1 on the domesticated bird and animal population in the United States this year is off the charts.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza has killed 3.48 million birds in domestic flocks in October, mostly laying hens and broiler chickens. More than 104 million birds in domestic flocks have died of the virus or were culled to prevent its spread since bird flu arrived in the United States in February 2022.

H5N1 transitioned from birds into domesticated animal (Cattle) in 2024 in the U.S.

The bird flu virus has been confirmed in 331 dairy herds in 14 states since it was identified in dairy herds in the Texas panhandle in March. California, the No. 1 dairy state, has reported 131 infected herds.

Source: Poultry Workers Treated for Avian Flu Infections in Washington State

British Columbia is located on the western boundary of Canada and the Pacific Ocean. The birds are flying south for the winter and carrying H5N1 along for the ride.

Three farms in Abbotsford and Chilliwack have been hit with highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza. The affected farms include turkey, broiler, and egg operations. Since 2022, more than six million birds in BC have died as a result of avian influenza.

Wetlands along the Pacific flyway, including those of the Fraser River delta and inland towards the eastern Fraser Valley, are known to harbour the virus. The same areas are also home to the province’s highest concentration of poultry operations.

Source: Bird Flu Returns

Mandatory surveillance underway for avian flu in Cache County dairies

Cache Valley dairies are being monitored for avian flu after a particular strain was found in an area commercial poultry farm. The Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF) has enacted mandatory surveillance for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in all dairies in Cache County. UDAF inspectors are going to collect bulk tank samples weekly from all Cache County dairy facilities.

Poultry and dairy cattle owners should be maintaining strong biosecurity plans and intently watching flocks and herds for symptoms of HPAI. Poultry symptoms include high death loss among flocks, nasal discharge, decreased appetite or water consumption, and lack of coordination in birds. Dairy cattle symptoms include decreased milk production; thicker, colostrum-like milk; decrease in feed consumption; dehydration; and, fever. Most dairy cattle recover within a few weeks.

H5N1 is on the move.

Almost all the cases of H5N1 in humans in the U.S. have been related to people working with infected birds (primarily chickens) and animals (primarily cows). But there was an exception. It was a man in Missouri who had no contact with either infected chickens or cows. But now another similar case has occurred in Missouri. Now there are two.

CDC Confirms Second Human Bird Flu Case in Missouri With No Known Exposure to Farm Animals

A second person in Missouri who wasn't exposed to either poultry or dairy cows has been infected with bird flu, U.S. health officials reported Thursday. This person shared a home with a patient who was first hospitalized with bird flu in August. "That these two individuals had identical symptom onset dates support a single common exposure to bird flu rather than person-to-person spread within the household," the CDC noted.

An explosion of human cases in Washington state. The numbers are rising.

The number of workers at a Franklin County commercial egg farm who have now tested positive for avian influenza has increased to eight, according to preliminary test results.

The outbreak at the large farm has the first human cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza, or H5N1, known in the state of Washington. Of the eight preliminary positive cases, two were confirmed positive Thursday night with additional testing by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. Confirmation testing of the other six cases in pending.

Source: More egg farm workers sick with avian flu. CDC sends help for Eastern WA outbreak

I consider West Nile Virus to be like a twin disease to H5N1. So tracking WNV in the U.S. is worth doing. The following link provides the latest information on WNV in the U.S.

More Washington state egg farm workers sick with avian flu; CDC sends help for outbreak

In Washington State:

Humans: The number of workers at a Franklin County commercial egg farm who have now tested positive for avian influenza has increased to eight.

The workers in Franklin County known or suspected to have avian influenza were infected by their work in heavily contaminated environments as they cared for the chickens and then euthanized them at a large egg-producing farm near Pasco (County). The temporary workers may have been helping with the difficult job of euthanization and composting of chickens and eggs.

Birds: The Washington state Department of Agriculture says two more cases in birds of the highly pathogenic form of avian influenza have been reported in two more counties since the Pasco area outbreak was confirmed Oct. 15. A backyard flock was confirmed to be infected in Kitsap County Oct. 18, and preliminary positive results for a backyard flock in Lewis County were reported Wednesday Oct. 23.

In Oregon State:

Birds: It reported Thursday that a commercial poultry operation in Clackamas County had H5N1 detected and that 150,000 birds were being euthanized. At the egg farm near Pasco (Washington), about 800,000 birds were euthanized and eggs were destroyed.

Bird flu has been passing from birds to animals and humans. Much of the focus is whether this H5N1 bird flu can transmit between humans. I came across an interesting study. A human case of this bird flu was successfully transmitted to animals and it was extremely deadly.

Bovine H5N1 influenza from infected worker transmissible and lethal in animal models

A highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 virus, isolated from the eye of a farm worker who became infected through contact with dairy cows, was lethal in mice and ferrets infected in a high-containment laboratory environment, according to a new study in Nature. The study investigators also found that the virus isolated from the worker, who experienced mild inflammation of the cornea (conjunctivitis), could be transmitted through the air between separated ferrets and might be capable of binding to and replicating in human respiratory tract cells.

The study also showed that a bovine H5N1 virus is susceptible to the antiviral drugs favipiravir and baloxavir marboxil (brand name Xofluza) of the polymerase inhibitor class, as well as the neuraminidase inhibitor zanamivir. The virus is less sensitive to oseltamivir (Tamiflu), another neuraminidase inhibitor.


I have identified a 9 step process for dealing with H5N1. This is step number 5 of that process.

France began an interesting approach to protecting humans from H5N1. They have done this by vaccinating domesticated birds from the disease. So far the results look good.

Vaccination against avian influenza in France started a year ago

In October 2023, France embarked on an ambitious journey to combat the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) through a nationwide vaccination campaign. This initiative, spearheaded by the French Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty, aimed to curb the devastating impacts of avian influenza on the poultry industry and safeguard public health.

The vaccination campaign, which ran from October 1, 2023, to September 30, 2024, targeted the most vulnerable poultry species, including ducks and chickens.

The results of the vaccination campaign have been promising. Predictive modeling based on previous outbreak data indicated a significant reduction in the number of HPAI outbreaks during the 2023-2024 period. Specifically, there was a 95.9% reduction in expected outbreaks, demonstrating the effectiveness of the vaccination program.

The number of human cases of H5N1 in the United States is currently at 36.

Since April 2024, CDC, working with state public health departments, has confirmed H5 bird flu infections in 36 people in the United States. Fifteen of these cases were associated with exposure to H5N1 bird flu-infected poultry and 20 were associated with exposure to sick or infected dairy cows. The source of the exposure in one case, which was reported by Missouri on September 6, could not be determined.

On the animal health side, since March 2024, USDA has confirmed infected cattle in 387 dairy herds in 14 U.S. states. The number of affected herds continues to grow nationally, with almost all new infections identified in herds in California. USDA reports that, since April 2024, there have been H5 detections in 39 commercial poultry flocks and 28 backyard flocks, for a total of 22.23 million birds affected.

Source: CDC A(H5N1) Bird Flu Response Update October 29, 2024