Has China already unleashed deadlier-than-Covid H5N1 virus?
Some countries like the US are on alert but most still have no preparedness to counter or prevent the deadly virus
Latest strain of H5N1 wouldn’t give time for lockdowns or develop vaccines
While the world continues to grapple with new challenges involving post-Covid strains and a looming world war, researchers and health experts are concerned a new wave of virus – that has already affected an unknown but very large number of animals and birds across the world — may wipe out more people than Covid did and at a much faster pace.
The virus under scanner is H5N1, otherwise known as avian influenza or bird flu. The nomenclature is too simplistic and hides the dangers that it poses. According to health experts, the virus can easily affect animals like cattle but also jump to humans. The mortality of this virus is very high – 60%, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The symptoms of the virus are as follows, “The symptoms of H5N1 infection may include fever (often high fever, > 38°C) and malaise, cough, sore throat, and muscle aches. Other early symptoms may include abdominal pain, chest pain and diarrhoea. The infection may progress quickly to severe respiratory illness (for example, difficulty in breathing or shortness of breath, pneumonia, Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome) and neurologic changes (altered mental status or seizures).”
The WHO said in 2012, “H5N1 is a type of influenza virus that causes a highly infectious, severe respiratory disease in birds called avian influenza (or “bird flu”)…H5N1 infection in humans can cause severe disease and has a high mortality rate. If the H5N1 virus were to change and become easily transmissible from person to person while retaining its capacity to cause severe disease, the consequences for public health could be very serious.”
The latest strain of H5N1 is therefore concerning. More so because of several events seen recently.
Social media users across the world have for about two years continuously posted about such symptoms, with many stating that their health has been sliding steadily with doctors unable to identify the real causes.
As of 1 April 2022, only one laboratory had confirmed case of human infection with influenza A(H7N4) — from China on 14 February 2018. It is clear, China had been experimenting with new traits of the virus while also working on COVID-19. However, earlier this year, a news report suggested China was working on genetically modifying the bird flu virus (100% mortality rate) and it could have leaked like the Covid virus in Wuhan.
Since then several reports of humans contracting the virus have been seen from across the world, suggesting the virus may have already been spread far and wide.
Recently a team of scientists landed in Antarctica likely because of some warnings they received about experiments there. They found hundreds of penguins dead and samples confirmed they died from the H5N1 virus.
Some countries like the US are on alert but most still have no preparedness to counter or prevent the deadly virus. Unlike COVID-19, the latest strain of H5N1 wouldn’t give time for lockdowns and develop vaccines. News reports are few and primetime debates on the subject are negligible. Will China succeed once again in its biowar against humanity?
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