What’s All the Fuss About?

The U.S. has been in the midst of a bird flu outbreak since February of 2022. This H5N1 avian influenza virus has sparked additional interest more recently due to its appearance in mammals and humans. The virus was found in cattle for the first time on March 26, 2024 (1). As of June 2024, only four human cases have been identified in the U.S. (2). These infections occurred in those in close contact with infected animals and only caused mild symptoms (3). Researchers and scientists are citing concerns that the disease could mutate and become efficiently transmissible between humans (1). Thus, the news has been full of alarmist reporting, leaving many fearing the possibility of another pandemic. 


100 Times Worse Than Covid?

The claim that bird flu could be “100 Times Worse Than Covid” is based off of statistics from the World Health Organization estimating a human fatality rate of 52% (1). In reality, the rate may be lower simply due to a lack of identification of additional cases that exhibited only mild symptoms (4). It is also important to consider that the sample size is low in the first place (887 identified cases), and most of the fatalities took place in developing countries without access to running water, basic medical care, and proper hygiene practices (5).


Bird Flu Fears Not Based on Evidence

Human Risk is Low

The current strain of outbreak (H5N1) has been around for decades. During that time, there have been many bird flu scares and pandemic predictions, yet the virus has never once claimed a human victim in America. Furthermore, CDC director Mandy Cohen admitted that the virus transmitting from human-to-human has never been observed in the U.S. Experts also say that the fatality rate should drop if it begins transmitting between humans (1).

Treatments Exist

The CDC already acknowledges that regular flu antiviral medications can be used to treat bird flu, like Tamiflu® and Xofluza® (6, 7). One study found that early initiation of antiviral agents appears to be beneficial (8). Other doctors say that mouthwash, gargles, nasal sprays, drops, or budesonide could also be helpful treatments (9, 10). 

Inaccurate Case Counts?

It appears that the predominant method being used to identify cases of bird flu is PCR testing (11). Health officials are urging increased routine testing, even of asymptomatic animals and workers (12). This is despite the fact that the WHO has admitted that PCR tests can yield false positives (13). The inventor of the PCR test himself states that it should not be used as a diagnostic tool for viral infections (12). Critics of the recommendation for widespread testing say that it will “raise a false case count” (12). What if we have a false case count already? 

It is relatively easy to demonstrate theoretical risk and run a fear campaign that may change behavior and sell a product such as a vaccine.
— Dr. David Bell, public health expert

Are Hidden Agendas Driving Bird Flu Hysteria? 

Food Supply Chain Disruptions: Climate Change & Big Food

Since the initial outbreak of H5N1 in 2022, nearly 100 million birds have been slaughtered (14). This is due to a practice known as culling: when one bird is infected, the entire flock is killed. Despite the limited evidence supporting culling, it is considered standard practice (10). The USDA even pays farmers for culled birds and eggs that must be destroyed, but will not provide a payout for birds that die naturally from avian influenza (15). Culling practices drive up the price of eggs and protein and increase food insecurities (10, 14). With the beef industry poised to mimic poultry culling practices in response to H5N1 appearing in cattle, will purchasing animal protein become unattainable for the average consumer (14)? Could this be the goal? Climate change activists have been seeking to reduce emissions from cattle herds for a long time, urging vegetarian or vegan lifestyles or alternative protein sources such as insects (16). In fact, a complete eradication of meat and dairy consumption is a stated goal of C40 Cities, a global network of mayors seeking to confront the climate “crisis” (17, 18). 

At the same time, could the food industry be seeking to force us into dependence upon mass production? The U.K. is now requiring anyone with chickens, even a small backyard flock, to register with the government or face hefty fines (1). Reporting on bird flu has also included warnings against raw milk consumption, even though the CDC admits they have no evidence to prove that avian influenza A viruses can be transmitted to humans through raw dairy (19). Perhaps the elites are trying to use bird flu to squash the rapidly growing trend towards self-sufficiency. 

The whole purpose of bird flu is to make you think the pandemics are out there, they’re coming for you all the time, and you need them [the health bureaucracy] to save you.
— Meryl Nass

Mass Vaccination Campaign

Almost every article on bird flu contains talk of a vaccine. The U.S. has had an FDA approved experimental bird flu vaccine since 2013 and currently has three approved H5N1 vaccines in the U.S. Strategic National Stockpile (1, 20). The Health and Human Services Department is working to produce 4.8 million doses of an avian flu vaccine simply for “pandemic preparedness” (21). Four companies are already working to produce new vaccines and, as of May 2024, an experimental mRNA H5N1 vaccine has been created (22, 23). The U.S. government is reportedly “‘looking closely’ at the possibility of vaccinating farm workers and others in close contact with the virus” (24).

Remember, we do not yet have proof that bird flu can transmit between humans; the few human cases identified in the U.S. have been mild; and there are other low-cost treatments available. Do we really need a vaccine? Perhaps the real issue here is the potential of financial gain. There has already been a jump in the stock value of several vaccine companies since the panic over bird flu and talk of bird flu vaccine production (25). Furthermore, the researchers that developed the new mRNA bird flu vaccine appear to have conflicts of interest and stand to profit from their product (26, 27, 28). 

Let’s consider the safety and efficacy profiles of the available vaccines. Of the three approved H5N1 vaccines currently stockpiled, none provide a protective immune response after just a single dose. Even after the administration of a second dose, “It is unknown whether the elicited immune response is sufficient to protect against infection or severe disease” (22). All three contain mercury, a potential neurotoxin (22, 29). The Sanofi vaccine contains PEG, an ingredient that has been associated with anaphylactic reactions to COVID-19 vaccines. The CSL Seqirus vaccine contains an adjuvant known as MG59, which has not been approved for use in most other vaccines due to its ability to stimulate autoimmunity. All three vaccine trials included reports of major side effects, such as Guillain-Barré syndrome, encephalitis, thyroid cancer, and other neurological disorders and chronic illnesses (22). As for the newly developed experimental mRNA bird flu vaccine, we’ve already witnessed the great risk and potential harm that an experimental mRNA product can carry. In light of bird flu’s current risk to humans (which is very, very low), these vaccines are neither necessary nor potentially advantageous


Is the U.S. Government to Blame for the Current Bird Flu Outbreak?

Gain-of-function Research on H5N1

The U.S. began funding gain-of-function research on H5N1 avian flu viruses in 2011 (30, 31). At that time, researchers were able to mutate the virus to be transmissible between ferrets (32). The findings were considered so risky that the National Security Advisory Board for Biosecurity recommended that the methods of the experiment should not be published in order to avoid replication “by those who would seek to do harm” (33). Currently, the U.S. House of Representatives is investigating claims that our government is spending $1 million on gain-of-function research on bird flu viruses in collaboration with a CCP lab (34, 35). The U.S. government’s funding of gain-of-function research on bird flu, coupled with its investment in H5N1 vaccine development and production, has some wondering if bird flu could be a deliberate bioweapon (1). 

Current Strain a Lab Leak?

It is indisputable that H5N1 has been manipulated in labs for many years. Is it possible that the current strain of bird flu came from a lab? Dr. Peter McCullough states, “Expanded host range is unlikely to have occurred in nature without human agency” (10). In other words, bird flu’s rapid jump to other mammal species, like cows, doubtfully happened on its own. McCullough and colleagues, after examining the disease sequencing and spread, speculate that the origin of the current outbreak may be a poultry research lab in Athens, Georgia, and a medical center in the Netherlands. These researchers are calling for further investigation and a complete halt of gain-of-function research on bird flu (36). Investigations have shown serious safety breaches in labs involving H5N1 bird flu (37, 38). At this time, a lab leak does not appear to be implausible. 


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Sources:

(1) https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/h5n1-bird-flu-vaccine-profit-gain-of-function/

(2) https://www.cdc.gov/bird-flu/situation-summary/index.html

(3) https://apnews.com/article/bird-flu-cows-michigan-farmworker-cacf56984b328ff2b2f94883b20f5272

(4) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_mortality_from_H5N1#cite_note-case-fatality_rate-3

(5) https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/influenza/human-animal-interface-risk-assessments/2022_april_tableh5n1.pdf

(6) https://www.cdc.gov/bird-flu/prevention/?CDC_AAref_Val=https://www.cdc.gov/flu/avianflu/prevention.htm

(7) https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/h5n1-bird-flu-what-to-know

(8) https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMra052211

(9) https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/richard-bartlett-bird-flu-vaccine-defender-podcast/

(10) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAYPF2eiwr0

(11) https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-detections/livestock

(12) https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/bird-flu-pcr-testing-cows/

(13) https://off-guardian.org/2020/12/18/who-finally-admits-pcr-tests-create-false-positives/

(14) https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/iowa/articles/2024-06-11/with-100m-birds-dead-poultry-industry-could-serve-as-example-as-dairy-farmers-confront-bird-flu

(15) https://www.aphis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/fs-hpai-indemnity-and-compensation.508.pdf

(16) https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/20/business/tyson-insect-ingredients/index.html

(17) https://www.arup.com/insights/the-future-of-urban-consumption-in-a-1-5c-world/

(18) https://www.c40.org/about-c40/

(19) https://www.cdc.gov/bird-flu/prevention/?CDC_AAref_Val=https://www.cdc.gov/flu/avianflu/prevention.htm

(20) https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/who-media-fear-bird-flu-spreading-humans/

(21) https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/avian-influenza-bird-flu/hhs-advances-plan-produce-48-million-h5n1-vaccine-doses

(22) https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/h5n1-bird-flu-vaccine-united-states-stockpile/

(23) https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/hhs-bird-flu-vaccines-two-human-cases/

(24) https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-european-nations-consider-vaccinating-workers-exposed-bird-flu-2024-05-27/

(25) https://www.ft.com/content/fca9de2b-4866-43ed-b5f0-abc208bd0e13

(26) https://www.pennmedicine.org/news/news-releases/2024/may/penn-researchers-develop-experimental-mrna-avian-flu-vaccine

(27) https://patents.justia.com/inventor/drew-weissman

(28) https://patents.justia.com/inventor/scott-hensley

(29) https://childrenshealthdefense.org/known-culprits/mercury/mercury-facts/

(30) https://organicconsumers.org/is-bird-flu-being-weaponized/

(31) https://www.science.org/content/article/exclusive-controversial-experiments-make-bird-flu-more-risky-poised-resume#:~:text=Two%20%E2%80%9Cgain%20of%20function%E2%80%9D%20projects,passed%20new%20U.S.%20review%20process&text=Controversial%20lab%20studies%20that%20modify,for%20more%20than%204%20years

(32) https://www.nature.com/articles/485013a

(33) https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/press-statement-nsabb-review-h5n1-research

(34) https://twitter.com/RyanSchmelzFOX/status/1779956086197383222

(35) https://blog.whitecoatwaste.org/2024/02/15/wcw-investigation-1m-usda-ccp-program-souping-up-bird-flu-with-wuhan-experimenter-sen-ernst-demands-answers/

(36) https://www.preprints.org/manuscript/202406.0060/v1

(37) https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/08/15/cdc-lab-mistake-avian-influenza-h5n1-strain/13110271/

(38) https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2023/04/11/lab-leak-accident-h-5-n-1-virus-avian-flu-experiment/11354399002/

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