this post was submitted on 19 Mar 2025
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A controversial proposal from U.S Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to let bird flu naturally spread through poultry farms is raising alarms among scientists -- who say the move could be inhumane and dangerous.

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 4 hours ago

The Secretary of HEALTH recommends letting a pandemic spread. Think about that for a second.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 hours ago

stand with rfk. americans voted trump twice into office and shows now sign of stopping their brain rott. bird flu is best that can happen. last time the facist leader was in office we had corona globally - lets just hope for a very localised (to the USA) bird flu outbreak to help the imbeciles remember 2020.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 5 hours ago

I am reminded of the quote "some of you may die, but that is a sacrifice I'm willing to make".

[–] [email protected] 25 points 5 hours ago* (last edited 5 hours ago) (1 children)

Let's not use the word "controversial" when "nobody with any qualifications would ever fucking agree with this" is more accurate. Controversial suggests a lack of consensus.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 hours ago

I think just saying dumb shit to cause drama and distract from other shit they're doing

[–] [email protected] 3 points 6 hours ago

You go first Mr RFK Jr

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 hours ago

“The way we raise birds now, there’s not a lot of genetic variability,” Hansen said. “They’re all the same bird, basically.”

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 hours ago

What is the stance of the department of agriculture on the bird flu?

[–] [email protected] 16 points 9 hours ago

Who would have known. The russian mafia puppet government that's doing it's best impression of the New world order stereotype.. is suggesting a population cull

[–] [email protected] 18 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

Inhumane is ironic considering that the mere existence of poultry farms is inhumane. But yeah, it would be stupid, cruel and it will raise the chance of mutations that spread to other species including us.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 8 hours ago (2 children)

I think they really mean it would be inhumane if you consider the problem vis-a-vis the yardstick most Americant capitalists measure their "humanity" by, ie: less dollary-doos for them.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 hours ago

It was scientists, not capitalists claiming this is inhumane.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 6 hours ago

Or maybe because it would kill people

[–] [email protected] 10 points 12 hours ago* (last edited 12 hours ago)

Guess we'll have to force anyone returning from the US to stay in quarantine.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 14 hours ago

I don't think he knows about second pandemic, Pip.

[–] [email protected] 26 points 15 hours ago

BND: There's a high probability that the last pandemic was caused by negligence in China.

US: Last Pandemic? Wait, hold my pisswater.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

I remember when people laughed at the concept of the immune system being like a muscle, that needs frequent excercise, and with same excercise it could be built back.

Good times.

Nowadays I wonder when will people shoot each other with increasingly higher caliber bullets to build up immunity to bullets.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 9 hours ago

I eat one credit card a day to build immunity to capitalism

[–] [email protected] 18 points 16 hours ago

He can go first. Go ahead Bobby, show us how easy it is.

[–] [email protected] 34 points 16 hours ago (2 children)

For the unaware, this bird flu variant has about a 50/50 survival rate. It won't be like Covid.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 10 hours ago

It's a bit complicated. That survival rate primarily includes people who become severely ill and seek medical attention. Since it's the most severe cases, the case fatality rate (CFR) will appear higher.

HOWEVER, what also needs to be emphasized is that a disease with like a 10% CFR is probably a civilization (as we know it) ending disease. I believe covid 19 was between like 1-2% and we saw how it nearly broke our health care system, and that was with people more competent than RFK in charge.

If a disease emerges that spreads as easily as COVID did and with a CFR rate 3 to 4X as worse, it'd obliterate the health care system very, very quickly. Then people are going to start dying en masse from preventable diseases, like common infections, moderate injuries (e.g. broken leg) etc.

If a disease emerges that spreads as fast and far as COVID and has a 50% CFR, yeah that'd collapse most societies completely. Maybe some societies that can truly lock down and enforce social distancing, like China, could survive long enough for a vaccine or other solution to become available.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

From what I've read i think it will be worse than 50/50 if lots get it because the recovery stories I've seen involved weeks in the ICU and required those machines that help with organ functions like pumping blood.

There will be a massive shortage of ICU beds and machines to save the people.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

And no Medicaid/Medicare to pay for it. So, even if they get the care, they'll be crushed by massive debt afterward.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 hours ago

If a disease with anything close to a 50% case fatality rate spreads far and wide, it'll collapse human civilization. There won't be anyone to collect the debt afterward. Those who survive would have to rebuild society from the ground up.

If it doesn't spread far and wide and it's only a small number of people who end in ICU, yeah they'll need to hire a bankrupcty lawyer once they recover.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 17 hours ago

Well, there it is. Life will... find a way.

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