Thread by @Guiness_Pig

A thread...

1) My chances of getting killed in an auto accident are low - around 1 in 100. Not non-existent, but low.
I took driver’s ed decades ago and have plenty of driving experience, so I have a good knowledge base. I know where I’m going and how to get there.

2) There are road signs and traffic lights and navigation apps that give me even more guidance. I practice defensive driving. I recognize signs of danger. Disabled vehicles on the shoulder, swerving cars, road rage, etc.

3) I’m always on the lookout for threats and can swiftly adjust when I see them. I recognize there’s a scope of risk within my control. I can drive during times when traffic is less busy. I can take backroads. I can delay my drive if there’s inclement weather.

4) I wear a seat belt to protect me if something unforeseen happens. If I need help, I know who to call. 511 will tell me about road conditions if there appear to be hazards along the way. 911 can get law enforcement and an ambulance on the scene if there’s an accident.

5) My risk of dying in an auto accident is low because of driving laws and regulations, education and guidance, and public safety systems.

6) The CDC recently issued an alert about H5N1, Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza. Unlike the 1 in 100 chance of dying in an auto accident, there is a 1 in 2 chance of dying from H5N1 if you get it.

7) We don’t yet have evidence of human-to-human spread, so CDC has told us that our risk of H5N1 infections is low. Not non-existent, but low.

8) And that’s it. That’s all we’ve got. The assurance that our risk is low. From the same organization that has been telling us to wash our hands to prevent Covid-19, an airborne pathogen which continues to kill hundreds of Americans each week and disables countless more.

9) We're in unchartered territory with H5N1 – also an airborne pathogen. Very few of us have had access to formal education or practical guidance on this matter. We don’t know what preventive measures we could take.

10) We don’t know what warning signs to look for. We don’t know who to call if something unexpected happens.

11) Public health and safety regulations that once protected us at a societal level have been loosened or stripped away. Which in turn has robbed us of trustworthy knowledge, choices, resources, and the ability to recognize and control risk.

12) This is not an appeal to the CDC; they abandoned us a long time ago.

This is a wake-up call for all of us. We are facing an extinction-level event for countless species around the planet. Maybe even our own.

13) We need to grow up and face reality. We need to rid ourselves of the hubris in believing that nothing *that* bad could ever happen to us. We need to humble ourselves because yes, it most certainly can. It probably will. We’re already being warned.

14) We need to own up to the fact that many of the comforts we enjoy come at the cost of widespread suffering and exploitation, and become better stewards of our planet. We need to be willing to make changes and sacrifices to reduce harm.

15) We need to trust science and become more science-literate. Historical data, unbiased research, and peer-reviewed studies are much more trustworthy than personality-driven podcasts, clickbait, and opinion masquerading as fact.

16) We need to trust scientists to translate evidence for us and guide us toward practical application. We need to believe those who have devoted their lives to studying the world’s most pressing infectious disease threats and how we can mitigate them...

17) ... not the lackeys whose pockets are lined with corporate dollars.

18) We need to restore public health. We need to relentlessly pressure our elected leaders to do the right thing. We need to vote them out when they don’t. We need grassroots coalitions. We need to rebuild communities that have been broken apart.

19) Above all else, we need to start treating each other like human beings again.

20) Because there may come a time in the not-so-distant future in which you no longer care if your neighbor is flying a rainbow flag or a MAGA flag on their front porch. You won’t care if they’re American or from halfway around the world.

21) You won’t care if they mask in the grocery store or if they’ve laughed off the Covid pandemic as a conspiracy. You won’t care what race, religion or gender they are. All you’ll care about is whether or not they open the door when you and your family come to them in distress.

22) You have a 1 in 100 chance of dying in an automobile accident. Because of societal protections, and because you have information, resources, and a broad scope of control, your risk is low. So low that it’s hardly worth worrying about when you get behind the wheel.

23) But this is a different journey we’re facing when it comes to H5N1. Half (or more) of our lives could be at stake. No one is coming to save us.

Can we save ourselves? Is your fellow man worth it?

You decide.

24) But do it now.

This can’t wait.

/Fin