‘We aren’t going to fall for this’: MAGA supporters refuse to believe bird flu found in unpasteurized milk

The only thing that’s about to get bigger than the raw milk trend is the fear of a pending outbreak of bird flu among those who drink it.

Reportedly, the California Department of Public Health detected the H5N1 virus in a batch of Raw Farm milk. Thankfully, Raw Farm issued a recall to retailers. Those who’ve bought Raw Farm milk were advised not to consume the product. News of pathogens in milk should raise alarm bells for the regular consumer, but not for Trump supporters. One of them wrote, “We aren’t going to fall for this.” Other Trump supporters remained just as skeptical about the bird flu claims and theorized that this was just a smear campaign against raw milk.

Simply put, nothing can stand in the way between a Trump supporter and their raw milk—not even avian influenza. Several opposing Twitter users took jabs at Trump supporters. They tweeted, “It’s kinda funny that MAGA has been pushing raw milk recently. And now there’s a recall in California because of bird flu. It’s almost like Republicans want people to get sick.”

Pandemic ahead? Probably not

There are fears about an H1N5 pandemic because of the raw milk trend that conservatives are touting. Human-to-human transmission of H1N5 is rare. A study published in the National Library of Medicine suggests that avian flu can be transmitted among humans in rare cases. The infectivity isn’t as strong, but the researchers aren’t certain if the virus can evolve to effectively spread between humans. Therefore, it’s too soon to panic about a pending bird flu pandemic.

Nevertheless, that doesn’t mean the issue should be taken lightly. Bird flu is highly fatal, with a 50% mortality rate, and this shouldn’t be ignored. Luckier patients may just experience mild, flu-like symptoms. The outcomes may be grim, but there’s nothing to fear for those who steer clear of raw milk. The unconfirmed health benefits clearly don’t outweigh the high likelihood of bird flu and dysentery. MAGA can argue with facts, but death doesn’t take debates.

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Vanessa Esguerra

Vanessa Esguerra (She/They) has been a Contributing Writer for The Mary Sue since 2023. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Economy, she (happily) rejected law school in 2021 and has been a full-time content writer since. Vanessa is currently taking her Master's degree in Japanese Studies in hopes of deepening her understanding of the country's media culture in relation to pop culture, women, and queer people like herself. She speaks three languages but still manages to get lost in the subways of Tokyo with her clunky Japanese. Fueled by iced coffee brewed from local cafés in Metro Manila, she also regularly covers anime and video games while queuing for her next match in League of Legends.

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