Well, 2025 is off to a raucous start, what with wildfires burning LA and winter freezing DC. So after a few weeks of grim determination, this correspondent has set aside those silly Resolutions until warmer weather, or 2026, whichever comes last.
Thankfully, this year our entire Valley can look forward to a new beginning with a sure-to-be-eventful Trump Administration, Part II. With four years of previous presidenting under his belt, Our Leader’s 2nd term should be even more action-packed than his first. A brief look-back provides hints of the excitement that lies ahead. Or in wait.
Beyond question, the biggest challenge of his previous reign was the covid pandemic which struck the nation in January, 2020. Our President did not shrink from that challenge.
Few will forget the stunned silences of the be-scarfed Dr. Deborah Brix, Covid Response Coordinator, and Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases, as Our President promoted cures that included ‘standing in the sunlight’ and ‘injecting bleach.’ Those press conferences scripted weeks of late-night comedy and prompted warnings from panicked physicians to ignore the President.
Thankfully, scientists developed a vaccine by year-end. Alas, it was too late to prevent millions of Americans, including Our President, from becoming infected. Thanks to taxpayer-provided healthcare at Walter Reed Hospital (no deductibles or co-pays), Our President recovered. Sadly, 1,219,487 Americans didn’t.
But why is that even relevant today? Well, against that background, it is a little concerning that Our President thought it a good idea to nominate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., a notorious vaccine skeptic, to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. And Bob or his replacement could soon be tested.
This year’s plague-in-waiting, H5N1 bird flu, is already decimating thousands of avian critters right here in our Valley – chickens, turkeys, etc. County officials have published important measures to take in order to contain the spread.
See https://socoemergency.org/emergency/avian-influenza.
So we might soon see what happens if (when?) H5N1 spreads to our Valley’s most critical flock: our farm-working neighbors themselves. A Google search discloses that:
“The risk of getting H5N1 bird flu is low for the general public, but it’s higher for people who work with or are around infected animals or raw milk . . . The CDC believes the risk to the general public is low. However, the number of human cases is increasing, and the virus could adapt to infect or transmit more easily among humans.”
Definitely not comforting, especially when more Googling turns up a decidedly mixed-bag of tidbits:
- The mortality rate for H5N1 bird flu is around 50% . . .
- The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that more than half of people infected with H5N1 have died since 2003.
- The CDC says the immediate risk to the public’s health from H5N1 bird flu remains low. . .
- H5N1 is a rare disease in humans and it’s difficult for the virus to spread to others. . .
- H5N1 is a dangerous virus that can cause severe illness in humans.
- Symptoms include Cough, Fever, Sore throat, Muscle aches, Headache, and Shortness of breath.
- Symptoms usually appear within two to eight days and can feel like the common flu. Antiviral drugs can help if taken within two days of the first symptoms.
Personally, I’m stocking up on N95’s and hand sanitizer. With Our President leading the nation and its H5N1 response, my 2025 Resolutions are simple: Think Positive, and Test Negative!
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