First Human Death From Bird Flu Strain Recorded in Mexico

Facts

• The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday that the first-ever human death from the H5N2 strain of bird flu has been recorded in Mexico, despite the victim having no known exposure to poultry or other animals.¹
• The 59-year-old man died in April and was suffering from preexisting ailments such as kidney failure. He was admitted to the hospital with nausea, fever, and shortness of breath before dying the same day from what lab tests confirmed was the H5N2 virus.²
• Health officials say there's no evidence that this strain could cause an outbreak through human transmission, as none of the man's close contacts have caught the virus. Bird flu can sometimes be transmitted to mammals such as humans and foxes.³
• The H5N2 strain is distinct from the H5N1 strain that has proliferated in dairy herds in the US and has led to mild illness in three known cases. Officials are investigating an H5N2 poultry outbreak and birds by a shallow lake near Mexico City.¹
• Avian flu can become fatal to humans. A 2021 outbreak of H5N6 in China led to 18 deaths. A John Hopkins University researcher has also said that bird flu has become more infectiousness to mammals since 1997.⁴
• Researcher Andrew Pekosz says that the H5 family of viruses has become particularly likely to 'spillover' from birds to humans more than other bird flu strains. Pekosz says these events are a 'warning bell' for the potential threats of viral mutation of bird flu.⁴

Sources: ¹Associated Press, ²Al Jazeera, ³BBC News and ⁴Guardian.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by New York Times. The proliferation of the H5 strain of bird flu is a ticking time bomb for public health authorities. The virus has already mutated to spread via respiratory means, making it much more infectious than before. Coupled with a lack of comprehensive testing and the precarious nature of farm work, there's a chance this disease could explode before we can get appropriate measures in place. The time for effective prevention is quickly running out.
• Narrative B, as provided by Wsj. Coming off the heels of COVID, public health authorities have lost the trust of the public, and their dire predictions will fall on deaf ears for good reason. Bird flu is not new, and has not shown itself to be a huge concern for humans. Big pharma and the media benefit from panic, but their bungling of the COVID response has greatly reduced the value we place on their claims. 2024 should not be a repeat of 2020.

Predictions