No Man Is An Island - part the fourth

A kind of famous poem (well... a bit of it)

No man is an island,
Entire of itself;
Every man is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.

From John Donne (~1600)

Regular reader may recall that I've mentioned on occasion our visits to Block Island. It's not way off-shore, only about 11 miles as the seagull flies. But it is sorta, kinda isolated. Well, this week's Block Island Times reports (subscription since the COC took it over) that H5N1 was found by state DEM in a noncommercial farm flock. This is the official report.

There is a farm open to the public by donation. It's more an open air zoo. All kinds of critters, including many ducks, although 40 sounds a bit high. We stop by at least once each visit. Neither the Times nor the DEM name the location. The DEM goes on to state

Initially restricted to wild birds and poultry, H5N1 has spilled over into other mammals, including wildlife like foxes, bears, and seals; domestic animals, like cats and dogs; and farm animals like goats and dairy cows.

The farm has a wide variety of animals on many acres of hillside. And the report goes on to say that Block Island is smack dab in the Atlantic flyway. Since much of the island is semi-wild (which the McMansion crowd hasn't yet destroyed), a good place to burger and soda for the migratory set. What's kind of important here is those multiple other variety of animals. If it happens, and it's not yet public so far as I know, that this flu has jumped to mammals on the island... You get the picture. One might wonder what Kim Don-Felon and his Merry Band of Fascists (so says this Tesla investor) USDA and FDA and CDC will do? Secretary Mumbles has already said many stupid things. Let's see if he does really stupid things. Or, more to the point, doesn't do anything.

Block Island, without the animal farm, is a diminished thing. And keep in mind: it ain't easy getting there with animals in tow. The main ferry brings dogs on board, which seems not to be the source of infection in winter. It almost certainly flew in.

How many east coast events have there been? Near as I can find as I type, one report in New York state and one in New London, Connecticut (that's Atlantic flyway, too). The Cassandra types have been warning. If they're right, Secretary Mumbles is in deep shit. And so are we, for having such an idiot running HHS.