The great and enduring plagues, and grievous and enduring sicknesses of 2020: Covid-19 approaches 10 million cases: The African Swine Flu outbreak, the end of pork? Avian flu killing millions of birds: The worst locust outbreak in nearly a hundred years, surely all lives matter

Credit, John Martin the 7th plague

Humans and Pigs have remarkably similar immune systems. Long before the Covid-19 Pandemic had infected almost 10, million people and killed almost 500,000 another devastating disease broke out of China which has probably killed an estimated 300 million pigs around the world since 1918. The latest country to suffer is Nigeria after their worse outbreak ever culminated in the loss of almost a million pigs culled due to African Swine Fever, (ASF). It is believed more than 40% of all farm-reared pigs have died globally since 2018 from the killer virus with an almost 100% death rate. Can you imagine the carnage if this virus

The African Swine Flu outbreak (“There just isn’t enough pork in the world to fill the gap.”)

However, the African swine fever (ASF) pandemic will be even worse this year than in 2019, say, experts, warning that the spread of the highly contagious virus, which is fatal to pigs, is unrelenting. With world attention on the human viral pandemic of Covid-19, the concern is growing that countries are not focusing enough on halting the spread of ASF through better biosecurity practices, cooperation on intensive vaccine development, or transparency regarding outbreaks. “The ASF virus is a much ‘stronger’ virus [than Covid-19], in that it can survive in the environment or processed meat for weeks and months,” Dirk Pfeiffer, a professor of veterinary sciences at City University in Hong Kong and a leading expert on ASF, told the Guardian. ASF kills almost 100% of the animals it infects, and despite being in circulation for nearly 100 years, there is still no vaccine.

As well as China and Africa, Vietnam has also culled 1.2 million pigs since an outbreak occurred there last year.  Pork accounts for three-quarters of total meat consumption in Vietnam, a country of 95 million people where most of its 30 million farm-raised pigs are consumed domestically.

Avian flu which is thought to be linked to Spanish flu which is thought to have killed between 100 to 500 million people around the world in 1918/20.
  
Avian flu is another pest, known informally as avian flu or bird flu, is a variety of influenza caused by viruses adapted to birds. The type with the greatest risk is highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). Bird flu is similar to swine flu, dog flu, horse flu and human flu as an illness ... Recent influenza research into the genes of the Spanish flu confirmed that virus came from avian flu which is thought to have killed between 100 to 500 million people around the world in 1918/20. Hundreds of thousands of birds have been culled around the world already this year because of Avian flu.

The locust plagues are destroying crops and economies of the worlds poorest nations

The worst locust outbreak in nearly a hundred years is spreading fast. The FAO announced South Sudan and Botswana, the first southern African nation to have been invaded by migratory locusts and in a separate, report the locust plague has reached the Western borders of coronavirus-hit China, the area of the plagues are vast and the list of countries now affected is enormous. A small plague was first reported on TBW back in Jan 2019, ironically at the holiest site in Islam. The locusts were filmed swarming around the Great Mosque in Mecca. Since then the plague has stretched Eastwards from Saudi Arabia, through Iran, Afghanistan, India and Pakistan, Bangladesh and on to the Western border of China. Westwards from Saudi Arabia into Egypt and then South into the Horn Of Africa and all the way down to Botswana in the South, passing through Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique and Uganda. Hundreds of thousands of miles of crops have been destroyed in just 13 months. The swarms are now migrating toward Western Africa and taking away the livelihood of millions of the poorest people in the world.

It is not difficult to imagine, the next plague to hit mankind will be famine, yet another Bible passage springs to mind as I write this piece. Deuteronomy 28:59. Jehovah will inflict very severe plagues on you and your offspring, great and enduring plagues, and grievous and enduring sicknesses.

Disease

Front Page