Rosa Rubicondior: Trump's Chickens May Be Coming Home to Roost

Sunday, 20 April 2025

Trump's Chickens May Be Coming Home to Roost - Carrying H5N1 Bird Flu

Americans don’t think bird flu is a threat, study suggests - CUNY Graduate School of Public Health & Health Policy

Elephant seals, killed by H5N1 'bird flu' on an Argentine beach.

Ralph Vanstreels, (UC Davis).

In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, President Donald Trump panicked when he realised that, in his eagerness to undo everything associated with Barack Obama, he had dismantled critical contingency plans for dealing with pandemics and allowed the national stockpile of personal protective equipment (PPE) to fall into disrepair. These actions left the United States ill-prepared for a public health crisis of such magnitude. Trump and his cronies promptly went into damage-limitation mode, i.e., blame everyone else (the buck stops over there!)

Rather than accepting responsibility, Trump—seemingly incapable of admitting error—chose to downplay the severity of the virus, which he referred to as the "Chaynees Vayrus". He repeatedly told Americans that COVID-19 was a mild illness that would "disappear" with the arrival of warmer weather in April (New York Times, 2020; Washington Post, 2020.1), ignoring both scientific advice and the obvious fact that seasonal changes vary globally, and that high temperatures do not neutralise the SARS-CoV-2 virus (WHO, 2020.2).

Having politicised the pandemic from the outset, Trump targeted public health officials such as Dr Anthony Fauci, whose science-based guidance often contradicted the president’s misleading statements (Science, 2020.3). Trump further encouraged scepticism toward basic mitigation measures such as social distancing, avoiding large gatherings, and wearing face masks. As a result, the wearing of masks was quickly stigmatised by many on the political right in the United States as a symbol of liberal or left-wing allegiance (Nature Human Behaviour, 2021). The consequences were stark: the White House itself became a hotspot for infections (BBC, 2020.4), and Trump’s campaign rallies became notorious super-spreader events (CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 2021.1).
And the death toll in the USA was the highest by far of any developed nation, and higher than almost all under-developed economies with rudimentary health services¹.

This cultivated scepticism was eagerly adopted and amplified by conspiracy theorists within the Trump-supporting QAnon movement. A flood of increasingly absurd claims followed, including that the pandemic was a hoax, that vaccines contained nanotechnology to allow government tracking via Bill Gates, and even that the vaccines could alter DNA to change an individual’s sexual orientation (MIT Technology Review, 2021.2; Pew Research Center, 2020.5).

Underlying this environment of mistrust was a population that had, for decades, been influenced by creationist front groups such as the Discovery Institute. These organisations have consistently worked to undermine public confidence in science, promoting the narrative that science is a conspiracy by a secretive elite seeking to destroy spiritual values and replace "Christian America" with a secular, left-leaning "Darwinist" society (Forrest & Gross, Creationism's Trojan Horse, 2004; Branch & Scott, National Center for Science Education, 2009).

Some background on bird flu and its recent spread into mammals, please. What is Bird Flu?

Avian influenza (AI) refers to infections caused by influenza A viruses that primarily affect birds. While there are multiple subtypes, the most concerning to humans and animals is H5N1, a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus.

Bird flu viruses are categorised by two proteins on their surface:

Hemagglutinin (H) – 18 known types
Neuraminidase (N) – 11 known types

The H5 and H7 subtypes are most associated with severe disease in birds and, occasionally, in humans and other animals.

Why is Bird Flu Dangerous?

Lethality in Birds: HPAI strains like H5N1 cause sudden death and widespread outbreaks in domestic poultry and wild birds.
Zoonotic Potential: Some avian flu strains can jump from birds to humans, typically through close contact with infected animals. While such spillovers are rare, human infections can be severe or fatal.
Pandemic Threat: If an avian influenza virus adapts to spread efficiently between humans, it could trigger a pandemic.

Recent Developments: Spread to Mammals

In recent years, especially since late 2021, the H5N1 strain has caused unprecedented outbreaks in wild birds and spillovers into mammals, raising concern among scientists and public health bodies.

Notable Events:

Seals and Sea Lions: In 2022–2023, thousands of seals and sea lions died along the coasts of South America and Europe after contracting H5N1, likely from feeding on infected birds or contaminated environments.
Foxes, Bears, and Otters: Wildlife surveillance in Europe and North America found infections in land mammals including red foxes, raccoons, and even a grizzly bear.
Cats and Dogs: Domestic animals have also been infected in isolated cases, mainly after consuming infected birds.
Dairy Cows (2024): In a new and deeply concerning development, H5N1 was found in dairy cattle in the United States in early 2024, marking the first confirmed infections in cattle. The virus has been detected in milk samples, though the risk to the public remains under review.

Human Infection (Texas, 2024):

- A human case of H5N1 was reported in Texas in April 2024, involving a dairy worker who had eye symptoms (conjunctivitis) but recovered. This individual had close contact with infected cows.

Source: CDC, WHO, USDA, Nature, Science, New York Times (2024)

Why the Spread to Mammals Matters

Adaptation Concerns: When influenza viruses infect mammals, there's a risk of mutations that make the virus better suited to human hosts.
Reassortment: If a mammal is co-infected with human and avian flu viruses, it could serve as a "mixing vessel", producing a new, potentially pandemic-capable strain.
Changing Patterns: The current H5N1 strain (clade 2.3.4.4b) appears to have evolved increased capacity to infect a wider range of species, raising alarm in the scientific community.

Global Response and Surveillance

Mass culling of poultry continues in many countries.
Wildlife surveillance has been ramped up.
Public health agencies (e.g., CDC, WHO, ECDC) are monitoring for signs of human-to-human transmission. - Efforts are underway to develop vaccines and antiviral strategies should a human-adapted strain emerge.

Conclusion

While human infections with H5N1 remain rare, the increasing number of mammalian infections, including in livestock, represents a serious evolutionary warning signal. The situation underscores the need for vigilant surveillance, biosecurity, and public awareness, especially in light of the pandemic fatigue and scepticism that remain pervasive in some populations.

Against this backdrop, it is hardly surprising that a recent study found that a significant portion of the American public perceives little or no threat from avian influenza (bird flu), despite its known ability to jump species barriers and its high lethality in a range of mammalian hosts (Axios/Ipsos Poll, 2024; CDC, 2024.1).

Trump's chickens could now be coming home to roost.

It would be a supreme irony if his deliberate attempt to switch the focus during the pandemic to imaginary conspirators in the science community resulted in him being forced to acknowledge that he has responsibilities of his office above and beyond running a crime syndicate from the Oval Office and handing out free pardons for his fellow criminals.

Sadly, however, his ability to understand the science shows no signs of having improved and his narcissism is worse than ever, so it is highly unlikely that his response to a new pandemic would be any different. We would still have the same loud denialism and his blustering and bullying of anyone who tried to inform him, and we would still see the same star-struck idiots chanting his mindless slogans and praising the way he is defeating the liberal-left elite once again.

However, the danger is real, as was shown by the results of a recent survey into American public ignorance and apathy towards the threat by a team from City University, New York (CUNY) which has just been published in the American Journal of Public Health and explained in a CUNY news release:

Americans don’t think bird flu is a threat, study suggests
In an editorial in the American Journal of Public Health, a team led by researchers from the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy (CUNY SPH) say public ignorance and apathy towards bird flu (highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI) could pose a serious obstacle to containing the virus and preventing a larger-scale public health crisis.
The authors, including CUNY SPH Assistant Professor Rachael Piltch-Loeb, Associate Professor Katarzyna Wyka, Professor Jeffrey V. Lazarus, Senior Scholar Kenneth Rabin, Distinguished Lecturer Scott C. Ratzan, and Dean Ayman El-Mohandes, conducted a population representative survey of U.S. residents from August 5 to 15, 2024, which used an in-depth sampling framework and intentional oversampling of rural populations.

The results suggest many respondents were unaware of simple food safety practices that could reduce the risk of HPAI infection. Over half (53.7%) did not know that pasteurized milk is safer than raw milk, although almost three of four respondents (71.3%) did understand that cooking meat at high temperatures could eliminate harmful bacteria and viruses like H5N1.

Over a quarter (27%) of respondents said they were unwilling to modify their diet to reduce the risk of exposure to the virus, and more than one in four respondents (28.7%) expressed reluctance to take a potential vaccine for H5N1, even if advised by the CDC to do so.

Participants who described themselves as Republicans or Independents were significantly less likely than Democrats to support either vaccination or dietary modifications.

Rural Americans, many of whom are more likely to work or live in or near livestock industries, were less likely to accept public health measures, including vaccination and dietary changes, compared to their urban counterparts.

These attitudes could pose a serious obstacle to containing the virus and preventing a major public health crisis. The fact that responses vary significantly by political party and geography emphasizes the need for a carefully segmented health communications strategy to address the issue.

Assistant Professor Piltch-Loeb, lead author.
City University of New York, NY, USA.

Working closely with agricultural leaders, farm communities and food processing companies wblock1ill be critical, and the fact that most of the agricultural workers who are at direct risk of exposure to the bird flu virus may be undocumented could seriously jeopardize efforts to track and control the spread of infections.
(Rabin, has been engaged in health communications campaigns for more than four decades).

Kenneth Rabin, co-author.
City University of New York, NY, USA.

Publication:

Rachael Piltch-Loeb, Katarzyna Wyka, Trenton M. White, Shawn G. Gibbs, Sara Gorman, Ashish Joshi, Spencer Kimball, Jeffrey V. Lazarus, John J. Lowe, Kenneth Rabin, Scott C. Ratzan, and Ayman El-Mohandes:
American Public’s Disengagement With Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI): Considerations for Vaccination and Dietary Changes. American Journal of Public Health 0, e1_e5.

Sadly, the paper is only available outside a paywall as an image of the first page - which includes the abstract:

Worryingly, the USA is in an even worse shape now to cope with another pandemic, being again run by a scientifically illiterate ignoramus with a narcissistic personality disorder who has surrounded himself with third rate sycophants who are in no doubt that they have to show him unswerving loyalty and adoration if they want to keep their jobs. He has even appointed an antivaxxer conspiracy theorist nut-job to head up the nation's health service and decimated the very public services that would be needed to manage such an emergency.

And the Repugnican-dominated Supreme Court has granted him immunity from prosecution, meaning he now has no accountability for his incompetence and criminal negligence.

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