All known human influenza pandemics have started with a swapping of genes between a deadly bird flu stain (like H5N1) and a human flu strain, creating a deadly strain that passes easily from person to person. This can happen inside a human, pig or other mammal. And this possibility increases dramatically when there is a lot of flu circulating in mammals, as there currently is in both cows and people right now. Indeed, the current flu season for humans is the worst in years. For the first time in 5 years, influenza deaths are outpacing deaths from covid or rsv. And, of course, vaccination rates are way down compared with a few years ago, contributing to this severity. Also, while the current risk of an h5n1 pandemic is considered low by scientists today, it could become extremely high in a few days or week from now, once we start seeing person to person spread. #H5N1 #birdflu #influenza #pandemic #publichealth #rsv #covid #antivax #vaccination

An early example of why RFK could be a deadly head of HSS... every one of these measles cases was in an unvaccinated individual

Measles outbreak in Texas rises to 24 cases as New Mexico reports illness

New Mexico's case-patient is from a county that borders the Texas outbreak location, though the patient hadn't traveled to the area.

#hss #rfk #measles #vaccines #antivax

Today, in honor of Black History Month, we remember the first of the Nashville sit-ins, which occurred at three lunch counters in Nashville, Tennessee on this date, February 13, 1960. The protests were organized by black college students and lasted through May and were intended to end segregation at lunch counters. They were coordinated by the Nashville Student Movement and the Nashville Christian Leadership Council, and were part of the broader sit-in movement that spread across the southern United States in the wake of the Greensboro sit-ins in North Carolina. The students were represented by a group of 13 lawyers, headed by Z. Alexander Looby. Racists bombed Looby's home on April 19. He, and his family, escaped uninjured. Later that day, over 3,000 people marched to City Hall to confront the mayor about the escalating violence. After subsequent negotiations, an agreement was reached in May, and six downtown stores began serving black customers at their lunch counters for the first time. #workingclass #LaborHistory #racism #jimcrow #nashville #sitins #civilrights #blackhistorymonth #BlackMastadon

YIMBYs say rents in san francisco are so high because there's not enough housing. So, we must build more. Board of supervisor eliminated a bunch of regulatory hurdles to entice development. Developers say they won't convert downtown's abandoned offices to rental units, in spite of the give aways, because rents aren't high enough in SF to make it worth their while. #housing #housingisaright #sanfrancisco

Today, in honor of Black History Month, we remember Nat Turner, who led one of the only effective, sustained slave revolt in U.S. history (in 1831). They killed over 50 people, mostly whites, but the authorities put down the rebellion after a few days. Turner survived in hiding for several months. The militia and racist mobs, in turn, slaughtered up to 120 free and enslaved black people, and the state executed another 56, and severely punished dozens of non-slaves in the frenzy that followed the uprising. Turner’s revolt set off a new wave of oppressive legislation by whites, prohibiting the education, movement and assembly of enslaved and free blacks, alike. After his conviction, he was beheaded and flayed, to deter future rebels. His skin was used to make souvenir purses and his skeleton was used as a medical specimen. In the 1960s, there was funk-soul band Nat Turner Rebellion. Tupac Shakur had a cross tattoo on his back, "EXODUS 1831", in reference to the year Turner led the rebellion #workingclass #LaborHistory #slavery #NatTurner #rebellion #uprising #revolt #racism #blackhistorymonth #BlackMastadon

The photo in this image is of Nazis plundering the library of Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld, Director of the Institute for Sexual Research in Berlin. Hershfield and colleagues formed The Scientific-Humanitarian Committee, in 1897, to campaign for the rights of LGBT people. It was the first LGBT rights organization in history. Hershfield was an outspoken advocate for the rights of gender and sexual minorities. The committee was based in Hershfield’s Institute for Sexual Sciences until the Nazis destroyed the institute in 1933. The committee provided legal support for people being charged under Germany’s anti-sodomy laws and lobbied to abolish the laws entirely. Albert Einstein, Herman Hesse, Thomas Mann, and Tolstoy all signed their petitions. The Institute for Sexual Sciences provided some of the first gender-affirming care in the world. #lgbtq #transrightsarehumanrights #homophobia #transphobia #nazi #censorship #bookburning #fascism #genderaffirmingcare #freespeech #science #publichealth #cdc

Today we are living in Upside Down land, where Jews who protest Israeli genocide against Palestinians are guilty of being Hamas terrorists. Where those who complain online about United Health allowing its customers to die in order to maximize profits are guilty of defamation. Where those who demand the right not be murdered because of their gender or skin color are guilty of hate crimes against persecuted white men and christians. Where a virus far deadlier than Covid is surging on US farms, while health & science institutions have been silenced and may soon be overseen by someone who wants to end research on infectious diseases. And where an unelected nazi, not satisfied with being the richest man in the world, has taken over control of the entire U.S. federal financial system. Have we hit rock bottom yet? #racism #fascism #freespeech #censorship #freepalestine #genocide #israel #lgbtq #bodilyautonomy #transrightsarehumanrights #transphobia #trump #musk #nazi