Right On Cue, The Bird Flu Is Back: There Are 3 Confirmed Human Cases In Washington State And One Victim Has Already Died

We certainly do not need another major crisis right now. We are already facing World War III, a global energy crisis, a global fertilizer crisis, a global food crisis and a Super El Niño. Global financial markets have gone nuts over the past month, riots are raging in major cities all over Europe, and it appears that there will be more fighting with Iran after the midterm elections. To say that our plate is full would be a huge understatement. Unfortunately, it appears that an outbreak of the bird flu that has suddenly erupted in Washington state could potentially become a major problem.

On October 8th, authorities confirmed that two herds of dairy cattle in Yakima County were infected.

As of November 2nd, 33 herds of dairy cattle in Yakima County and one herd of dairy cattle in Benton County are infected.

Bird flu is not supposed to spread like wildfire among dairy cattle, but that is precisely what is happening…

Bird flu passes from bird to bird very easily.

It normally does not do that among mammals.

So the fact that this particular strain is ripping through dairy herds at such a rapid pace is definitely a red flag.

Bird flu also isn’t supposed to be able to spread easily from cows to humans.

Sadly, during this new outbreak in Washington state this has already occurred a number of times.

The first confirmed human case in Washington state had “direct exposure to infected dairy cattle”, and that particular individual has now died…

A Washington resident has died from the bird flu (highly pathogenic avian influenza, HPAI) after direct exposure to infected dairy cattle.

The Yakima Health District confirmed that the patient had underlying health conditions and was hospitalized due to the infection before their death on Sunday, Nov. 1. This marks the first person in the United States to die from the bird flu in 2026.

“Our hearts go out to the individual’s family and loved ones during this difficult time,” Dr. Dave Atteberry — health officer for the Yakima Health District — said in a statement. “Avian influenza can cause severe illness, particularly among people who have underlying health conditions.”

A second human case was quickly confirmed in Yakima County, and that person has been hospitalized…

In a follow-up report on human avian influenza in Yakima County, Washington state, the Yakima Health District (YHD), in coordination with the Washington State Department of Health (DOH), is reporting a second human case of avian influenza, also known as bird flu, in a Yakima County resident after exposure at a dairy with infected cattle. The individual is currently hospitalized with severe illness and has underlying health conditions.

Subsequently, a third human case was confirmed in Yakima County, but the good news is that this individual “has not experienced severe illness and has not been hospitalized”…

In the same release, the Yakima Health District also reported a third confirmed human case of avian influenza in a resident exposed to infected dairy cattle at a Yakima County dairy. The district said that person has not experienced severe illness and has not been hospitalized.

The health district said it is working with public health partners to identify and contact people who may have been in close contact with the individual to monitor for symptoms.

At this stage, we are being told that no human to human transmission has been detected.

If that changes, this will very rapidly become an absolutely huge story.

For now, what we know is that the bird flu has spread to 33 dairy herds in Yakima County and one herd in Benton County in less than a month, and three human cases have been confirmed…

We will watch to see if this bird flu outbreak is any different from past outbreaks.

In recent years, the bird flu has resulted in the deaths of millions of chickens and turkeys, but the number of human cases has been extremely low.

In order for the bird flu to spread among humans, it would have to mutate.

Minks and ferrets have respiratory systems that are very similar to humans, and so they would make ideal hosts for such a mutated strain.

Alarmingly, for months an enormous outbreak of the bird flu “has raged uncontrolled on a Utah farm that raises thousands of mink for fur”…

For that to happen, this bird flu would likely need to find an intermediate host — an animal vulnerable to viruses that infect both birds and humans. These animals would be crowded together, each infection raising the odds that a new strain could arise through mutation. Then, for that strain to jump across species, it would have to have access to humans and time to spread among them undetected.

That perfect petri dish exists right now, a ProPublica investigation found. For over two months, an outbreak of bird flu has raged uncontrolled on a Utah farm that raises thousands of mink for fur. Mink have lungs and airways that on a cellular level are remarkably similar to those of people; they have caught and spread other flus and infected some humans with COVID-19.

Instead of trying to stop the outbreak and prevent it from spilling into humans, state and federal officials have done little except try to keep its existence quiet, our investigation shows. The failure to act amounts to a cascade of missteps flu experts called “irresponsible” and “puzzling.” One called it “playing with fire.”

Most people have not heard about this outbreak.

Is this the same strain that is now infecting dairy cattle and humans in Washington state?

I don’t know, but somebody needs to find out.

We have been hearing about the threat that bird flu potentially poses for so long that many of us have become numb to what is at stake.

According to the CDC, when humans do get infected by the bird flu the death rate is somewhere around 50 percent…

Since 2003, 954 confirmed cases of human H5N1 have been reported to the World Health Organization, and about half of those people have died. The case fatality rate is approximately 52%, per the CDC.

The countries reporting the highest number of human bird flu deaths are Indonesia, Egypt, Vietnam, Cambodia and China.

The case fatality rate varies by strain of bird flu. H7N9, another type of bird flu known to infect humans, has a lower fatality rate of about 40%, research shows.

In a scenario in which the bird flu spreads very easily among humans, millions of people could die.

It is imperative that we avoid such a scenario.

Unfortunately, bird flu is now spreading very easily among dairy cows in Washington state and among minks in Utah.

Dairy cows do not have respiratory systems that are similar to humans, but minks do.

If the strain that is raging out of control on a mink farm in Utah starts spreading among humans, we could be facing a historic public health crisis.

During the last pandemic, the entire world was paralyzed by a disease that had a death rate of just a fraction of one percent.

So what kind of panic would we witness with a disease that has a death rate of around 50 percent?

Hopefully this bird flu outbreak in Washington state will fizzle out and not turn into a big deal.

But I am writing about it because I want my readers to be way ahead of the curve.

Those that know about a potential problem in advance have an advantage in preparing for it.

If a bird flu pandemic does erupt among humans, it really will be a full-blown nightmare.

Michael’s new book entitled “10 Prophetic Events That Are Coming Next” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can subscribe to his Substack newsletter at michaeltsnyder.substack.com.

About the Author: Michael Snyder’s new book entitled “10 Prophetic Events That Are Coming Next” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com.  He has also written nine other books that are available on Amazon.com including “Chaos”, “End Times”, “7 Year Apocalypse”, “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America”, “The Beginning Of The End”, and “Living A Life That Really Matters”.  When you purchase any of Michael’s books you help to support the work that he is doing.  You can also get his articles by email as soon as he publishes them by subscribing to his Substack newsletter.  Michael has published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and he always freely and happily allows others to republish those articles on their own websites.  These are such troubled times, and people need hope.  John 3:16 tells us about the hope that God has given us through Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  If you have not already done so, we strongly urge you to invite Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior today.

The post Right On Cue, The Bird Flu Is Back: There Are 3 Confirmed Human Cases In Washington State And One Victim Has Already Died appeared first on End Of The American Dream.

Michael Snyder is the publisher of The Economic Collapse Blog, The American Dream Blog and The Truth. You can follow him on Twitter right here.

Source: http://endoftheamericandream.com/right-on-cue-the-bird-flu-is-back-there-are-3-confirmed-human-cases-in-washington-state-and-one-victim-has-already-died/