USDA orders testing of milk for bird flu

nbcnews.com

3 pointsceejayoz2 comments

Bird Flu isn't new - this is posturing to justify USDA existence under the coming DOGE microscope. No different then when layoffs are looming around the office, you start seeing people showing up on time and scheduling superfluous meetings on "Important Topics" in an effort to provide the illusion of value/leadership. I expect to see a lot of this in the coming months.

The first detection of this was in 1996 and in 2024 its now an emergency to start testing for. If this is a real issue, its safe to say the agency has ben derelict for some time in the intervening 28 years. Im not saying its a terrible idea on its face - I am saying the timing for this becoming an issue is suspiciously convenient.

I would agree with this assessment if there would be no evidence that bird flu poses a risk. But due to more and more people being infected with it (mammal to human transmission) it may be a good idea to track this. There was also some news about tracking it via waste water analyses. And just a few days ago there was an article here on HN about bird flu pandemic being something we already see coming but also not acting on it.

So, there’s at least some evidence that it might be a good idea.

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