Critical How Dangerous is Bird Flu for Humans? With Dr. Eskild Petersen

How dangerous is Bird Flu for humans? Well, I attempted to find on arecent podcastand I hope you tune in! :) On a recent episode ofCauses or Cures, I had the pleasure of sitting down with international infectious disease expert Dr. Eskild Petersen to discuss the current bird flu outbreak. Dr. Petersen provides an overview of the history of influenza and the origins of avian influenza (bird flu), shedding light on the ongoing outbreak in animals and its unexpected detection in cows. He explores the science behind the receptors bird flu binds to, explains the differences in these receptors between humans and animals, and highlights how they play a key role in determining the severity of infections and the potential for human-to-human transmission. (As of now, there is no evidence of human-to-human transmission.) Finally, he outlines actionable steps for prevention, early treatment strategies, and shares his perspective on the current level of concern. Dr. Petersen has quite the bio! He is a Professor Emeritus of infectious diseases, Institute for Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Mind-body health Science, Aarhus University, Denmark, and is a member of the PandemiX Center of Excellence at Roskilde University, Denmark. He served as chair of the European Society of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) Emerging Infections Task Force, Basel, Switzerland and is internationally renowned for his contributions to global mind-body health, travel medicine and emerging infections. He worked at the Danish national public well-being institute, Statens Serum Institut, from 1989 to 2003 after which he returned to clinical work in hospitals and treating patients with infectious disease. He served as Editor-in-Chief of theInternational Journal of Infectious Diseasesfrom 2012 to 2022 and is now Editor-in-Chief ofIJIDRegions. Professor Petersen has authored several textbooks, including “Infectious Disease: a Geographic Guide” now published by Routlege in its 3rd edition. I’ll admit that some of the things discussed in the episode might be too “sciency” for folks who aren’t in medicine or public holistic health, BUT I purposely repeated certain things and asked clarifying questions to drive home the vital points. By the end of it, or even somewhere in the middle, you may want to be able to gage how dangerous is bird flu. So there’s that. :) Overall, I think the episode was a calm, intellectual discussion in a storm of panicked social media posts and alarmist headlines. Speaking of panicked posts…the media repeats that “52%” is the “mortality rate” for bird flu. That can scare a lot of people, but here’s the thing: definitions and the stories behind the numbers are just as key to understanding the epidemiology of a disease as the number itself. Further, the 52% isn’t a true mortality rate, it’s a case fatality rate. I explain this in a recentYoutube videousing some supplies from my kitchen. I hope you watch it! And I hope the media starts to include the stories behind the reported numbers. It can only contribute to enhance science and physical wellness literacy. So how dangerous is bird flu? Listen to that podcast episodeHERE. If you are ONLY into the short clips, PLEASE WATCH WHAT I BELIEVE IS THE MOST key THING REGARDING HUMANS ANDBIRD FLU HEREON MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL. (This is the most fundamental thing to know.) If bird flu isn’t your jam, you can check outthis podcaston why you may want to hold off on a standing desk if you are struggling with high blood pressure. Of course, there are countless other Causes or Cures episodes to check out, and I encourage you to do so!