Five years ago, the world was brought to its knees by a virus that spread across the world like wildfire. People feared for their lives as the number of fatalities rose, especially among very young and old people. Although the COVID pandemic was years ago, its deadly results affected people massively. This is why a new virus known as H5N1 is beginning to cause panic; people fear it may be the beginning of a new outbreak.
History of Pandemics
The Black Death (1347-1352): An eerie name for an even eerier disease. This zoonotic disease spread from Asia to Europe via rats who hitchhiked on ships that went between them. There were three different manifestations of the disease listed in order of deadliness: bubonic, pneumonic, and septicemic. Even though bubonic was the least deadly among the three variants, it was still extremely lethal, killing around 80% of its victims in the first five days of contraction.
The Russian Flu (1889-1890): Deemed as one of the first modern flu pandemics, the Russian Flu was a prolific virus that spread from Russia to most of the world in a matter of months. Luckily, while the pathogen was adept at proliferating, it was quite weak, as those infected typically only suffered mild symptoms. However, the Russian Flu had the potential to be deadly in the elderly and those with significant preexisting conditions.
The Spanish Flu (1918-1919): This pandemic was unlike any others before it. In its first wave, people were not too worried, seeing as they only got mild cold-like symptoms. Unfortunately, a second wave hit soon after, which was utterly ruthless. Individuals who caught the new variant tended to rapidly deteriorate and die within the same day(s) after developing it. The third wave following this was just as devastating.
The Bird Flu Variant: H5N1
Towards the tail end of 2024, the Bird Flu began to make its rounds again. Typically, this pathogen affects birds, hence the name. The most contagious forms of this infection tend to have an extremely high mortality rate, as 90-100% of those infected die from it. In rare instances, humans can contract the virus, though symptoms tend to be mild. As previously mentioned, this virus typically sticks to infecting one species, however, scientists have recently discovered a mutated variant that is allowing the pathogen to infect cows, causing deadly consequences.
So far, this potential pandemic is mostly avoiding humans, with only one confirmed death. However, it is having an immense impact on the dairy, meat, and egg industries. Millions of birds have either died or been culled so far, and many cow herds have been affected as well. Although this new virus appears to be in its early days, health officials all over the U.S are worried that if this outbreak is not rapidly controlled, it has the potential to become a newer and more deadly version of the COVID pandemic.
In cows, it is hypothesized that the virus spreads through their mammary system, subsequently infecting the milk that they produce. As with eggs, proper cooking/pasteurization of infected products virtually eliminates the risk of infection for humans. Because of this, raw dairy/chicken products should be avoided at all costs to minimize the possibility of catching H5N1.
