A series of alarming developments has confirmed the dire threat of a highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1 “bird flu”) pandemic, for which American and world capitalism are wholly unprepared. The bird flu has had a 50% fatality rate among humans in the past and could quickly dwarf the COVID-19 pandemic’s death toll.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul ordered the temporary closure of all live bird markets in New York City and surrounding counties after detecting bird flu in seven birds. This follows an advisory from the New York State Department of Health recommending accelerated subtyping of Influenza A in hospitalized patients to detect cases of bird flu.
The US is experiencing its worst flu season since 2009, with over 24 million illnesses reported, causing 310,000 hospitalizations and 13,000 deaths. Scientists have warned that co-infected patients could facilitate a reassortment of genes between seasonal flu and bird flu, which could be taking place due to the anti-science policies of the Trump administration.
The Trump administration is preparing an executive order to fire thousands of HHS, CDC, NIH, FDA, and CMS employees, including plans to end all relations with the World Health Organization. This move further undermines public health infrastructure and allows infectious diseases to spread unchecked.
A socialist public health program can prevent bird flu and other emerging infectious diseases by implementing mass testing, contact tracing, safe isolation of infected patients, and high-quality masks. The fight for this strategy must become a critical component of the fight against fascism and the Trump administration’s assault on the working class.
Source: https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2025/02/08/ocfq-f08.html