NYT Op-Ed on the looming bird flu danger, hiding its Bill Gates influence. I decode it.
This is the NYT's 5th Op-Ed encouraging us to be scared s***less about bird flu
The World Is Watching the U.S. Deal With Bird Flu, and It’s Scary
Nov. 19, 2024
By Tulio de Oliveira
As a virus scientist in South Africa, I’ve been watching with dread as H5N1 bird flu spreads among animals in the United States.
Funny how Tulio fails to mention his affiliation with the entirely Bill Gates-funded Department of Global Health at the University of Washington.—Nass
The pathogen poses a serious pandemic threat and has been detected in over 500 dairy herds in 15 states — which is probably an undercount. And yet the U.S. response appears inadequate and slow, with too few genomic sequences of H5N1 cases in farm animals made publicly available for scientific review.
[This is because the USG officials who publish these data do not know which narrative they will be asked to spin, nor whether a bird flu will be deliberately be released, or possibly has been released. Therefore they must prevent independent scientists getting access to data that could allow them to track mutations that could identify unnatural spread, and challenge the USG narrative. It is not that the USG does not have these data—it has plenty. But it always has excuses for why its data collection is incomplete, such as: the farmers wouldn’t let us come and test because we might shut them down during an outbreak.—Nass]
Failure to control H5N1 among American livestock could have global consequences, and this demands urgent attention. The United States has done little to reassure the world that it has the outbreak contained.
This is how a Gates-funded scientist learns to talk, elliptically. They know the outbreak isn’t contained. They know it is extremely mild for humans, pretty mild for cows, and no human has caught it from milk. Therefore, does it need to be contained? CAN it be contained when it is widespread in wild birds and perhaps other animals? But they pretend it can and should. —Nass
The recent infection of a pig at a farm in Oregon is especially concerning, as pigs are known to be mixing bowls for influenza viruses. Pigs can be infected by both avian and human influenza viruses, creating a risk for the viruses to exchange genetic material and potentially speed up adaptation for human transmission. The H1N1 pandemic in 2009 was created and spread initially by pigs.
One pig, one pig. Be very afraid—Nass
Beyond the risks to its citizens (there are over 45 cases of people in the United States getting the virus in 2024), the United States should remember that the country where a pandemic emerges can be accused of not doing enough to control it. We still hear how China did not do enough to stop the Covid-19 pandemic. None of us would want a new pathogen labeled “the American virus,” as this could be very damaging for the United States’ reputation and economy.
Correct. 52 Americans got mild infections, mostly pink eye. Some were asymptomaticc, found by PCR screening. A mild virus like this will not damage anything.—Nass
The United States should learn from how the global south responds to infectious diseases. Those of us working in the region have a good track record of responding to epidemics and emerging pandemics and can help the United States identify new virus strains and offer insights into how to control H5N1. This knowledge has not come easily or without suffering; it has developed from decades of dealing with deadly diseases. We’ve learned one simple lesson: You need to learn your enemy as quickly as possible in order to fight it.
We did this during Covid. In November 2021, my colleagues and I and others in Botswana discovered the Omicron variant. We quickly and publicly warned the world that it could rapidly spread. This kind of transparency is not always easy because it can come at a large economic cost. For example, after we shared our Omicron discovery, countries around the world imposed travel bans on South Africa ahead of the December holidays, spurring backlash. Our team received death threats, and we needed security for our labs. One estimate suggests South Africa lost $63 million in canceled bookings from December to March.
True. But omicron was way more serious than this H5N1 bird flu. Yet the US does have an obligation to share data. In fact, that was the excuse the USG used for why it needed a binding Pandemic Treaty—to force other nations to share such information when an outbreak strikes. But what is good for the goose is apparently not good for the gander, and the USG makes its own rules as it goes along. Isn’t that the meaning of the rules-based order?
But it was the right thing to do. That’s why it’s so frustrating that genomic sequences of H5N1 animal cases in the United States are not quickly made available.
Yes, the genomes of the virus as it travels and mutates should absolutely be shared, but I explained why the US government is not sharing them, above. He who controls the information controls the people. Duh.—Nass
Sharing genomes of virus samples immediately is crucial for understanding the threat and giving the world time to prepare, including developing antivirals and vaccines. Rwanda, for example, was recently bold enough to go public with the detection of the deadly Marburg virus. Health responders there worked around the clock, and within about a month, they seemed to have controlled the outbreak. Other countries in Africa have similarly and openly shared data about the spread of mpox.
I’ve worked for decades with American scientists, and this summer I toured many of the country’s top scientific research institutions and was a speaker at one of its largest annual virology meetings. I know how flabbergasted many American scientists are about the country’s slow response to the H5N1. One highly respected American virologist, David O’Connor, told me: “It seems that the United States is addicted to gambling with H5N1. But if you gamble long enough, the virus may hit a jackpot.” A jackpot for the virus would fuel a pandemic.
Dear Reader: Would you object to a few days of pink eye, or would you prefers hundreds of your tax dollars going to vaccine and antiviral development, building nets over outdoor poultry farms or where cows range, and testing, testing, testing?
It is time to respond forcefully to this threat. The world’s scientists are here to help, in the same way the United States has helped us so many times.
Give me a break. This guy knows the score. But he relies on grants. He can’t just come out and say, “My lab gains credibility by studying your virus.” Or, “USG, you are losing your credibility in the negotiations of the Pandemic Treaty—after Bill Gates worked so hard to get it passed. Don’t do this to us.” So he flatters instead.
Countries need to continue to support one another; we need an international scientific and medical force that can work together to respond to new epidemics and potential pandemics, including diagnosing and genetically analyzing every single sample of H5N1.
What a coincidence: Bill Gates suggested just this kind of international task force, to go into countries when they have outbreaks and DO SOMETHING!—Nass
I understand that it’s not easy to persuade businesses, such as the meat and dairy industries, to allow the testing of all of their animals and employees and to make that data public quickly. But I also know that in the end, doing so protects lives, lessens economic damage and creates a safer world.
No American has died from this extremely mild virus that you “scientists” make out to be severe for careerism and money. How many Gates Foundation employees helped you write, spin and place this article at the NY Times?—Nass
The world cannot afford to gamble with this virus, letting it spread in animals and hoping it never sparks a serious outbreak — or crossing our fingers that its effects won’t be serious in people. Time will tell. I hope we are not watching a new pandemic unfold, with both the American and the international communities burying our heads in the sand rather than confronting potential danger.
More about bird flu from the NYT
We’re Applying Lessons From Covid to Bird Flu. That’s Not Good.
Why the New Human Case of Bird Flu Is So Alarming
This May Be Our Last Chance to Halt Bird Flu in Humans, and We Are Blowing It
Who Could Catch Bird Flu First? These Experts Have an Idea, and a Way to Help.
Tulio de Oliveira is the director of the Center for Epidemic Response and Innovation at Stellenbosch University in South Africa and an associate professor of global health at the University of Washington. He has received numerous awards for his work on virus genomics work.
I prescribe a daily dose — or more —
of Dr. Nass as a remedial action to fight the “spread” of fear-porn!
Oh my! We may get pink eye and maybe even a cold. Lets rush out and get vaxed with an untested injection that may kill us!
Not!!