Health specialists announce major H5N1 concerns while a conspiracy theorist runs the nation’s Department of Health. Within just a few weeks in office, the Trump administration has gone too far.

The CDC terminated a promotional campaign for seasonal flu shots just days after Robert F. Kennedy Jr., known conspiracy theorist and anti-vaxxer, became the nation’s top health official. Our society may be on the brink of another pandemic-level threat and our representatives are not taking it seriously.

While Kennedy downplays the dangers of anti-vaccination, a measles outbreak has already overtaken the South Plains of Texas.

Meanwhile, as California – the top agricultural state in the country for crop and livestock sales – faces growing bird flu infections, President Trump and his elected officials prioritize self-serving agendas.

Savory breakfast enthusiasts like myself sure aren’t benefiting from the record-high egg prices at over $10 a carton in some areas.

In December, more than half of the 60 or more confirmed human cases of bird flu – also known as Avian Influenza – were in the state of California alone. Governor Gavin Newsom called for a state of emergency upon confirmation that infections derived from infected cattle.

The infection, which typically targets birds, has spread to other animals like cats, bears, and most importantly, cows – who were not believed to be susceptible to the virus, according to Apoorva Mandavilli, The New York Times Science reporter. This sudden uptake suggests that the virus is changing and adapting, just as COVID-19 did.

Not only will the egg enthusiasts be left at the sidelines, but likely milk and meat enthusiasts too. If egg prices have practically tripled within months, your favorite burger and shake spot might soon move to the bottom of your list with similar increases.

What is especially threatening about bird flu’s progression is that there are several early signs that our government officials are purposely ignoring. However, it’s likely Kennedy has his hands full with theorizing the continuously disproven vaccine-to-autism pipeline.

Like Kennedy, Trump also has a history of spreading medical misinformation, including suggesting bleach injections to combat COVID-19.

Within weeks of his inauguration in January, President Trump ordered the CDC to cease contact with the World Health Organization (WHO) under claims of “mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic.” I’d say we’re off to a devastatingly low start considering bird flu’s current progress.

Arguably, such “mishandling” wasn’t at the hands of the licensed health professionals, but President Trump’s.

In 2018, before the pandemic struck, the Trump administration disbanded the White House pandemic response team. What followed was not an easy sight.

Empty streets, rising unemployment, and mass media mayhem within the confines of our own homes – this was our collective reality as COVID-19 creeped its poison into our lives. Apparently, Trump’s experience was far different.

“I’m doing OK, because, to the best of my knowledge, I’m the president of the United States, despite the things that are said,” President Trump stated when the U.S. COVID-19 death toll passed 20,000 in April 2020.

I’d argue that the mourning families may not have shared the sentiment.

By the end of Trump’s presidency in January 2021, the death toll passed 390,000.

Despite the COVID-19 chaos, it was the educated health officials who produced a vaccine and whom we should trust to make crucial health decisions, not politicians covering their own messy tracks.

What we need is an educated medical response to bird-flu, not false assurances.

There were only three confirmed bird flu human cases in June 2024 with a sudden spike to 70 as of Feb. 24, 2025. With such an incredibly disturbing jump, we must not let our pandemic fatigue cloud a weakening glass standing right in front of us.

The first fatal human case of bird flu was a patient in Louisiana who was over 65 years old with underlying health conditions. Although there are varying factors for the cause of death, it is important to note that the virus developed mutations while in the patient, which could increase the possibility for human-to-human spread.

“It’s a bit like playing roulette,” Mandavilli said for The New York Times, “At some point, the virus is going to hit the right numbers to make human-to-human transmission possible.”

Toilet paper wars, mask mandates, and a painful, spirit-killing quarantine for many – we’ve seen it all with COVID-19. With nearly 5 years since the strike of the global pandemic, it is far too daunting to even consider human-to-human spread as a tangible reality once again. Avoidance cannot be the option that plagues us.

As a highly polarized president, who’s very motto claims to “Make America Great Again,” Donald Trump should know more than anyone that there is absolutely no space for another life-threatening pandemic in greatness.

Unfortunately, Robert F. Kennedy’s allies like Del Bigtree, anti-vaccine movement leader, suggest that if officials at the Health and Human Services Department aren’t “producing real results and good science, maybe there’s a better job for them somewhere else.”

However, at an alarming rate, according to Politico, “Senior leaders at the Food and Drug Administration, National Institutes of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — nonpartisan career officials — opted to resign rather than work under Kennedy.”

I’d add health professionals, or anyone who values logic, to the likely disappointed eggs, milk, and meat enthusiast list.

Although science reporter Apoorva Mandavilli also stated that bird flu may never be a global pandemic, it is incredibly important to take all the precautions necessary to avoid such.

Bird flu might not ring the emergency alarm quite yet, but building a campaign around conspiracy theories is sure to make a lot of noise. I strongly suggest that people look into the CDC’s Avian Influenza Social Media Tool Kit and download the graphics to post on social media for family and friends.

I urge the American people, do not rely on Robert F. Kennedy’s unconventional health campaign – a man who believes the chemicals in the water supply could turn children transgender – to provide a scientifically researched response.

Take action by seeking the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) contact page. Find HHS representative emails here and send a message to your local or state department to keep your local governments accountable.

It is especially important to remember that our government officials are elected to serve you. Our government is supposed to serve the common taxpayer, the working man, the future of our country and guard against those who threaten it.