H5N1 and Us | Sampson Independent

The influenza virus does not have the capability to reproduce itself. It has to invade the cells of another animal and capture the reproductive process of the invaded host. It is a respiratory disease which makes it very contagious. All we have to do to transmit or contract the virus is breathe. Infected individuals can transmit the virus for three to five days before realizing that they are ill.

The influenza virus has the fastest mutation rate of any known organism. That makes it dangerous. When an influenza virus invades a human cell, it gets inside the cell where our immune system can't find it. The influenza virus then uses the human cell's chemistry to reproduce a large number of copies of itself. Animal and human reproduction is guided by specific instructions provided by DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid). So, if it is human DNA, it produces a human baby every time. Influenza reproduction is random. Most of the thousands of "offspring" viruses bursting out of the host cell will be dysfunctional. But that same randomness allows for an occasional super star, a new and potentially deadly mutation of the virus. That may be what caused the 1918 pandemic.

To date, H5N1 has infected bears, birds, bobcats, cats, chickens, cows, dolphins, foxes, leopards, mountain lions, opossums, otters, raccoons, seals, skunks, and squirrels. There are 889 recorded cases of humans contracting the H5N1 version of influenza directly from animals. It was fatal for slightly more than half of the victims (52%). There is, as of now, no reported human to human transmission of the H5N1 influenza virus, but the possibility of that happening is a major concern for all of us.

Scientists need time to discover how a new infectious disease functions and more time to develop a vaccine or treatment medication. Additional time is required to test for safety and to produce and distribute the medications or vaccines. The process requires public money and political support. In that regard, our experience with Covid-19 was less than stellar. There was controversy regarding the value of isolation, face masks, and vaccination. One million Americans died as a result of contracting Covid.

President Wilson won reelection promising to keep the United States out of the war in Europe (WWI). After he was reelected, in a sudden and stunning reversal, he thrust the U.S. into the war. Four million citizens were drafted to serve in military service. Crowded military camps were hastily constructed. Influenza broke out in a mid-western camp. Not much was known about the disease, but it was obviously contagious. Military authorities urged that troops from infected camps should not be transferred to camps where the disease had not developed. That advice was ignored. They further urged that a one-week quarantine be observed before soldiers boarded the extremely crowded troop ships to Europe. The Wilson administration refused that request. The disease was transmitted around the world and became a pandemic.

President Wilson chose to personally represent the United States at the peace conference after the war ended. While in France, he contracted influenza that weakened him severely and caused mental confusion. Influenza can affect the neurological system. Without American influence, the peace treaty imposed harsh conditions on Germany that some historians believe promoted the rise of Adolf Hitler and WWII.

Jack Stevenson is retired. He served two years in Vietnam as an infantry officer, retired from military service and worked three years as a U.S. Civil Service employee. He also worked in Egypt as an employee of the former Radio Corporation of America (RCA). Currently, he reads history, follows issues important to Americans and writes commentary for community newspapers.