The news arrives from an obscure Australian island, but its implications are universal. A bird flu strain, H5N1, has slaughtered 75% of the baby seal population. British veterinary scientists now warn of a pandemic risk.
If you think this a distant problem, you are dangerously naive. History teaches that plagues do not respect borders. The Black Death began with fleas on rats.
The 1918 flu started in birds. We are witnessing the overture to a potential catastrophe. The intellectual decadence of our era is on full display: we fret about pronouns while a virus evolves in seals.
Perhaps we should recall that the Roman Empire fell not to barbarians alone, but to disease. The Antonine Plague weakened Rome, and the Plague of Justinian helped end the dream of a reconquered empire. We are no different.
Our globalised world, for all its marvels, is a petri dish. The Victorian era, with its faith in progress, would have scoffed at such warnings. Yet we, with our advanced science, are equally complacent.
We assume technology will save us. It might not. The seal pups are a warning writ in blood.
If we fail to act, we will be the next exhibit in the museum of fallen civilisations. The pandemic risk is real. The question is: will we be clever or just clever enough to ignore it until it is too late?
