Wednesday, July 8, 2026

The Internet has made us stupid (bird flu edition)


Headline:  Cambodianess, 7/7/2026

Sonny Inbaraj Krishnan reports: 
Australia's first detection of the globally circulating H5N1 avian influenza virus in a migratory wild bird and Cambodia's continuing reports of sporadic human infections underscore that bird flu remains a public health concern across the region. 
But a new study suggests that during disease outbreaks, one of the biggest challenges may not be the virus itself—it is how people interpret information about it online. Researchers who analyzed more than 11,000 YouTube videos and nearly 180,000 public comments found that while videos largely communicated accurate information about avian influenza, audiences often steered the conversation elsewhere. Discussions shifted from epidemiology and food safety to politics, institutional trust, conspiracy theories, food prices and the origins of the virus. [emphasis added]

Other bird flu posts:
July 1-5:

June 21-30

June 11-20:

June 1-10:

May 16-31

May 11-15

May 6-10

May 1-5:

April 26-30:

April 21-25:
California bird flu news:  It's everywhere, it's everywhere!  (4/23)

April 16-20
 
April 11-15:

April 6-10:  
Even the 1% have to deal with bird flu  (The Hamptons Long Island edition).  (4/9)

April 1-5
Lancaster County Pennsylvania reports yet another case of bird flu. (4/1

March 26-31:

March 21-25:

March 16-20:

March 11-15, 2025

March 6-10, 2026.  

March 1-5, 2026

February 20-28,2026
SHOCKER!!  Dead birds found in Ohio gated community.  Bird flu suspected.  (2/21)

February 10-19, 2026
February 1-9, 2026

January 21-31, 2026

January 11-20, 2026
New York tells resident don't touch those dead birds.  (1/17)

January 1-10, 2026
Bird flu strain of avian influenza:  "The picture has grown darker and stranger than most would have imagined".  (1/8)
Bird flu reported on Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts. (1/8)Dozens of vultures die of bird flu in North Carolina.  (1/8)

December 16-31, 2025

December 1-15, 2025

November 15-30, 2025

November 1-15, 2025

October 2025

September 2025

April-August 2025

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