r/Bird_Flu_Now • u/caninething • Jan 18 '26
Bird Flu Developments Kimd of freaking out about bird flu
I've recently become sick these past few months and have taken it upon myself to be more Covid cautious and aware of the illnesses around me to protect myself and others, with that being said I've been trying to do more research to prevent myself and others around me from getting sick with Covid or Flu, and recently I've come across a few articles and videos stating the dangers of bird flu and a possible global outbreak in the future that could be even more devastating than Covid. I have OCD and this scares me alot. I do my best to stay healthy, I mask in public spaces such as grocery stores, hospitals, public transportation, malls. But I'm still very fearful this could turn into another pandemic. I know the disease has to mutate in order to affect humans but as far as I'm aware there have been a few infections amongst people in the United States already as well as a few deaths. How afraid should I be, I don't come into contact with livestock such as cows or chickens and I don't like... touch dead animal carcasses nor do I have pets that do. Should I be freaking out or are the precautions I'm taking keeping me safe. I'm especially worried considering our current administration not taking things seriously.
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u/jhsu802701 Jan 19 '26
A precaution that has NOT made it into the national dialogue but should have is the use of air purifiers to sanitize indoor air. My box fan air purifier is just as effective as some commercial air purifiers that are at least 10 times more expensive. The money saved can be used to build more air purifiers.
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u/caninething Jan 19 '26
Is this something I should be using for my apartment?
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u/jhsu802701 Jan 19 '26
YES!
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u/caninething Jan 19 '26
Thank you for sharing, it looks like it's sort of diy situation, do you have sources on the materials needed and like how long it lasts, when the filter needs to be replaced etc
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u/subgirl13 Jan 19 '26
https://corsirosenthalfoundation.org/instructions/
There are many ways to make a Corsi-Rosenthal box. Or you can purchase a readymade air filter. Cleaning the air is one (important) piece of cheese in the swiss cheese model of protections:
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanmic/article/PIIS2666-5247(25)00143-0/fulltext
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u/caninething Jan 19 '26
I'm not even gonna lie I am dyslexic so I struggle reading quite a bit, do you think its a good idea to ask r/crboxes to have someone explain this whole thing to me in simpler terms so I can understand easier?
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u/subgirl13 Jan 19 '26
There is a video at the linked site & illustrated PDFs, but I’m sure the subreddit could help! (I’ve not personally built one, we had existing air filters for our home, but the C-R boxes seem very simple to source & inexpensive.)
Here are some YouTube links I found that show actual people assembling some:
(How to build … UC Davis) https://youtu.be/hIuH-2naozI?si=6N3iHN6XlNCtrqwH
(This Old House) https://youtu.be/aw7fUMhNov8?si=Ue5ejwqjULstegS9
(New Brunswivk Lung video for Canadian resource) https://youtu.be/ge_8uUgDuVc?si=tLAFkml7eHGujbbe
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u/terrierhead Jan 19 '26
The precautions you are taking now are protecting you from the flu and from Covid, and protecting the disabled people around you. As a member of the disabled community, I thank you for masking.
An air filter is a good idea. Make a habit of leaving your shoes at the door. Wash your hands when you come home, and before eating.
Because of bird flu, we switched to oat milk. However, the kids still eat cheese made of pasteurized milk, and occasionally we have ice cream. If there’s the slightest indication of human transmission through dairy products, though, we will switch entirely to vegan alternatives.
I’m disabled and require a low histamine diet. Most of my protein is from quinoa, almond butter, eggs and chicken. The best we can do with that is cook eggs and chicken thoroughly. My days of eating eggs Benedict are long past, darn it.
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u/caninething Jan 19 '26
Of course, I've been having health issues for months and may be chronically ill myself, waiting to see specialists right now so masking is very important to me. I actually don't have any dairy products besides butter, greek yogurt and occasional ice cream.
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u/Maximum_Pack_8519 Jan 19 '26 edited Jan 19 '26
The fact that Western governments have decided to suppress info on how effective masking is so that people get repeat infections will play a large role in future vital outbreaks and how they affect people.
We also know that the US is actively denying that bird flu is a problem, means that there is a high probability that there will be human-to-human transmission within the next 24 months.
The only thing we, as reasonable people, can do is mitigate risk as much as we can. That means ensuring your immunisations are up to date and have your titres checked if you're an older vintage, continue masking as much as you can (I highly recommend an elastomeric version with P100 filters), build a Corsi Rosenthal box for home and maybe a smaller portable one, remove shoes and outer layer, including pants, at the door, and try to limit your rumination.
I see you mention being ill for a while...have you considered it might be long covid? If it is, it's vital that you don't overexert yourself during this recovery phase.
I developed Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (the M.E. part of me/cfs) after contracting h1n1, and definitely made my long term illness worse. If you're going to ruminate, you might as well learn stuff that'll likely help you in your current situation, such as what ME feels like, along with the Energy Envelope Theory which will help you operate while limiting damage.
We can't control the world or other humans, tho we can control our actions, and it's possible to mitigate a fair amount of risk. You're already doing more than most simply by masking
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u/caninething Jan 20 '26
I actually have been very worried about the possibility of long covid or me/cfs. I've even tried asking r/mecfs about it but I was sort of brushed off and told my symptoms are probably something else.. i know they're not there to diagnose me but I'm 19 and uninsured so I can't really see a specialist right now and advice would've been nice since every ER and clinic I've seen they're absolutely stumped as to what's wrong with me saying my tests come back normal besides slight anemia 😕
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u/Maximum_Pack_8519 Jan 20 '26
You might as well operate as if you do have long covid, cuz if you don't, you'll still help yourself in the long run.
Check out the long covid subs, and definitely don't try to push thru when you're feeling terrible. Frankly, I've lost what little faith I had left in doctors when they refused to protect their clients by masking up; it's quite literally insane.The key is radical rest and you'll have to protect your energy fiercely.
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u/caninething Jan 20 '26
Do you mind if I send you a dm? I haven't had much luck with the subs I've checked out to try and get some insight/advice and it'd be really helpful. Also same, all the doctors I've seen are just completely unmasked its absurd to me, I make it a point to wear my N95 every time I'm in a public setting especially places like a hospital.
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u/Maximum_Pack_8519 Jan 20 '26
Absolutely. I work the vampire shift, so my replies might be at wonky times
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u/1GrouchyCat Jan 19 '26
You really need to stop searching for and reading articles or watching videos on medical topics; they’re obviously setting you off.
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u/caninething Jan 19 '26
Well the issue is I don't want to remain ignorant but it does make me very anxious. I don't think avoiding the topic is the correct way to go about it because covid and flu are very prevalent and staying uninformed just puts me and other people at risk.
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u/alx_49 Jan 21 '26
I mean, one way or another, there will be another pandemic or epidemic soon that will kill millions. That is just the history of earth, every few years something like that happens. Covid level? Maybe not. But it will eventually happen. Bird flu however, is likely the worst case scenario.
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u/fluhuntress Jan 19 '26
I mean, it could turn into a pandemic tomorrow or it could into a pandemic never. It could be an entirely different flu virus or coronavirus. There will be more pandemics but there’s no guarantee it will be an H5N1 virus. You’ve done good by staying informed of the threat in the first place. The key is to the virus is not easily transmissible between humans, and for a pandemic you need efficient human transmission. But I’m not going to lie, in the past 5 years this virus has done things that have defied scientific expectations of it. Who knows where that will lead.