Summary
A new H5N1 bird flu variant has become “endemic in cows,” with cases detected in Nevada and Arizona, raising concerns about human transmission.
Experts warn that without intervention, the outbreak will continue, but Trump has cut CDC staff and halted flu vaccination campaigns.
The virus’s spread coincides with a severe flu season, increasing the risk of mutation.
The administration has also stopped sharing flu data with the WHO and shifted its containment strategy away from culling infected poultry, raising fears of inadequate response.
I agree with your first two sentences.
But at least with COVID and AIDS, neither of those are attributed to animal agriculture. They crossed into humans through exposure to animals, but in the case of AIDS that was non-human primates most likely. And in the case of COVID it was most likely bats. But in neither of those instances were those animals part of an agricultural system. In other words they weren’t being farmed
Swine flu, yes absolutely. Aids and COVID? Not so much.
HIV-1 virus exposure was most likely from bushmeat trade. COVID might have as well.
I was aware that COVID most likely came from wet markets. But that’s selling hunted meat.
Animal agriculture is raising animals to eat. Often in confinement.
With bird flu, animal agriculture is a major cause for concern. But that doesn’t mean animal agriculture was the cause of all pandemics.
I guess we could argue that eating meat might be. But I also don’t want to tell folks who are living in poverty in other parts of the world that they can’t hunt for food.
So I feel like the ethical arguments are different too.
Meat is a vector for all pandemics, so the goal should be to create a world where no one ever has to eat meat ever again.
Or where meat can be grown in a lab in controlled conditions.
That’s always going to be vastly more expensive than just eating plants, it’s just not a realistic way to feed everyone. It could really only ever be a sometimes food.
this one. I know it’s a meme in vegan circles but meat really is fucking delicious.
Modern fake meat is not super distinguishable anymore. The stuff you buy at the market I mean, not the stuff that is sold at restaurants even when the brand is same (maybe restaurant cooks just don’t know?)