Civil Defense Perspectives vol. 40 #1 (Jan. 2025 published April 2025)
The current threat is avian influenza, but there will surely be another, once this one has run its course. Viruses will not become extinct even with mRNA platforms at the ready for attacking each emerging variant. General principles, applicable without sequencing genomes, are reviewed here.
Transmission
Respiratory viruses are generally transmitted by inhalation, but a person could theoretically get infected by eating food if the food is contaminated with the virus and it remains infectious. Avian influenza viruses have been detected on the surface and in the contents of raw eggs. Hence, anyone who handles raw eggs in their shells or handles raw contents of the eggs is theoretically at risk, though the risk from eating well-cooked eggs should be extremely low (https://tinyurl.com/yrj2s2sv).
Food handlers need to exercise meticulous hygiene—frequent handwashing! Be aware that norovirus is not affected by hand sanitizers based on alcohol. Use soap and water. Some respiratory viruses such as some coronaviruses are shed in feces.
Viruses can persist on surfaces, and SARS-CoV-2 can stay infectious on refrigerated deli foods, meats, and fresh produce for up to 21 days (https://tinyurl.com/yrtbm3p2).
Other articles on food-borne contamination: https://tinyurl.com/484e59r8 (norovirus); tinyurl.com/3j43d8ts (SARS-CoV-2); https://tinyurl.com/3sed57rp (numerous viruses from environmental contamination); https://tinyurl.com/5dud968f (respiratory viruses); https://tinyurl.com/yayvex6k (coronaviruses).
For purifying the air, far ultraviolet light (Far-UVC, 207–222 nm) can be used against any type of microorganism, without harming human eyes or skin. It has been installed in some places for more than 5 years, and more than 100 studies have been done (tinyurl.com/bdfu2wjr, tinyurl.com/2p9u99vz).
How can transmission be stopped in livestock, other than by culling (killing) them all if one animal in the flock becomes ill? A concentration of chlorine dioxide (ClO2) gas well below the permissible exposure level to humans has been shown to prevent aerosol-induced influenza virus infection in mice (https://tinyurl.com/4wv7akxz, https://tinyurl.com/yc4k7k9y).
A product called Protect Air by anudha releases 0.017ppm of ClO2 into the air and claims to eliminate most bacteria and viruses (https://tinyurl.com/59wu3tx5).
Pre- or Post-exposure Prophylaxis
Measles immune globulin (Ig) is available. This is prepared from donor blood. Given within six days of exposure it is about as effective as a measles vaccine given within 72 hours at preventing illness (https://tinyurl.com/3arwewbd). Current preparations have less Ig than former ones because there is less natural immunity in the population (tinyurl.com/43bw2b6k). It should be possible to manufacture monoclonal antibodies synthetically (https://tinyurl.com/43ucph6m), avoiding the use of blood—they were available for COVID for a short time. But products ending in –mab generally are very costly.
For some diseases, vaccines may be protective if given very quickly after exposure, such as rabies and smallpox. Post-exposure vaccination against tetanus produces an adequate amount of antitoxin in just 4 to 7 days, leaving a small window for it to outpace the natural 10-day incubation. The prospect for this therapeutic use has not been fully explored even for common vaccines (https://tinyurl.com/yujhzdcp).
Ig has been used post-exposure for a number of conditions, as for needlestick exposure to hepatitis B.
The DDP COVID medical kit (tinyurl.com/5yc26fmm), complete with some recipes, has suggestions for disinfecting the nasal mucosa, applicable to other viruses as well.
Possibly better, and more convenient, is the intranasal use of Neosporin, which contains neomycin, bacitracin, and polymyxin B, and is available over the counter. It induces the expression of interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) in the nasal mucosa that is independent of the commensal microbiota. ISGs are a broad family of effector proteins that interfere with different stages of the viral life cycle, providing a robust first line of defense against invading viruses. Both human and animal studies suggest that this previously unexplored modality has the potential to combat respiratory viral infections, also in resource-limited countries (https://tinyurl.com/3rfs45sd), but the long-term risk: benefit profile has not been studied.
Host-directed therapeutic strategies such as this, which engage multiple antiviral mechanisms, may reduce the likelihood of the development of drug-resistant viruses. In contrast, current antivirals used to treat respiratory viral infections are selective inhibitors that act directly on viral proteins. Targeting viruses directly drives the emergence of drug-resistant strains due to the high natural mutation rate of respiratory viral pathogens, as seen for example with oseltamivir.
A Tale of Two Narratives
The politicized recent measles outbreak provides a case study of the polarization and weaponization of public health in the U.S., writes Dr. Robert Malone (tinyurl.com/yeakchzs).
The dominant narrative is that all [approved] vaccines are “safe and effective”—and indeed the only answer. Any who question any aspect of this catechism are typically attacked, censored, and ostracized. The counter-narrative is that no vaccines are safe and effective, and that HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., is a traitor to the “resistance” for saying that the best way to prevent the spread of measles is to vaccinate. This is a true statement in that no alternative methods have proven to be more effective at slowing or stopping the spread of this highly infectious, very low-mortality disease. This is not the same as stating that measles (or COVID, or influenza) vaccination is either fully safe or effective, or that every person should be vaccinated.
What is needed is to allow and enable objective, unbiased data to be gathered and analyzed. Then, make public health policy decisions based on the data. In the meantime, neither trench warfare nor circular firing squads will permit or support effective public health policy decisions. We need to consider options like the need for safer vaccines, recognition and treatment of adverse effects, and better prevention and treatment of disease.
Repurposed Drugs
The most rapid and cost-effective method of bringing a “new” drug to market is to find additional uses for already approved drugs, for which safety testing is already done. Artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to search the literature or electronic health records—which, we were once told, would help us “determine what works.”
Discovering new treatments by repurposing existing drugs, previously a serendipitous and random practice, has become a rigorous method grounded in bioinformatics. Once enthusiastically endorsed by mainstream academia and regulators, it inexplicably lost their support during COVID-19 pandemic (https://tinyurl.com/38jddcz5).
There is intense interest in more effective and less toxic anti-cancer therapy, for example, and much hype on X.com with anecdotal reports on anti-parasitic drugs, including ivermectin, fenbendazole, and mebendazole, prominently by Dr. William Makis. These are not rigorous case studies, and long-term follow-up is largely missing. There are biologically plausible modes of action, tested in vitro. Studies of these drugs and many others (antivirals, antimalarials, antibiotics, and more) in cancer therapy have been extensively reviewed (https://tinyurl.com/4ytudpwt).
Treatments for Viral Diseases
Measles:
Nebulized budesonide may stop the inflammatory symptoms, according to Dr. Richard Bartlett, who has been treating patients in the West Texas outbreak. He states that the generic version can be obtained for about $35, despite an average retail price of more than $1,500 (https://tinyurl.com/4mmzxv65). He also recommends antibiotics such as clarithromycin to protect against secondary bacterial pneumonia. A similar regimen has also been used in COVID, combined with azithromycin or similar antibiotic. The approach deserves to be studied.
Influenza:
The officially accepted treatment for influenza is oseltamivir (Tamiflu™). The CDC recommends that clinicians should start any hospitalized patient, particularly those in the ICU, on antiviral treatment with oseltamivir—even if influenza test results are pending. Reputedly, if started within 24 hours of first symptoms, clinical improvement occurs a day sooner than it otherwise would. In 2009, the U.S. had stockpiled $1.5 billion worth. Yet, the drug had not been shown to prevent complications or to stop transmission. Data about adverse reactions was withheld (https://tinyurl.com/yvafwwmf).
If a million people took Tamiflu, 45,000 would experience vomiting, 31,000 would experience headaches, 10,000 would have renal complications, and 11,000 would suffer psychiatric harm, estimate Tom Jefferson and Carl Heneghan, authors of an extensive analysis about influenza transmission and treatment, “Clearing the Air around Influenza,” on trusttheevidence.substack.com.
The effect of hydroxychloroquine on the mechanism for cell entry by influenza virus was known in 1982 (https://tinyurl.com/ydnnt4r7), and many papers have described its use in treatment, writes Lee Merritt, M.D. Some physicians use hydroxychloroquine for self-treatment of suspected viral illness, with or without a positive test for COVID.
Antibiotics:
The dogma that viral diseases are not treatable with antimicrobials is false, Dr. Merritt writes. Antibiotics used in Lyme disease, including tetracyclines, macrolides, metronidazole, and ciprofloxacin, may have activity against a number of viruses (https://tinyurl.com/bdey7ksz).
Metronidazole may work against norovirus, a prevalent and extremely debilitating gastrointestinal illness.
The main reason not to overuse antibiotics is the development of bacterial resistance—not that they never help.
Anti-parasitics:
It is quite true that ivermectin is a horse de-wormer, as the FDA famously emphasized. It is also very effective against many human parasites (e.g., river blindness, strongyloidiasis, scabies, head lice). From 2012 onwards, there have multiple reports that ivermectin has antiviral properties towards a growing number of RNA viruses, including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1, influenza, Zika, Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus, chikungunya, SARS-CoV-2, and flaviruses such as dengue. Evidence for activity against DNA viruses is more limited, but encompasses pseudorabies, polyoma, and adenoviruses.
As a host-directed agent, it has the potential to be genuinely broad-spectrum against various viruses that rely on a common host pathway, and selection for viral resistance is largely circumvented (https://tinyurl.com/4wjypwaw).
Nitazoxanide may be the broadest spectrum antiviral. Its antiviral activity was shown in patients infected with hepatitis C, rotavirus, and influenza. Results of Piacentini et al. suggest that nitazoxanide may also be effective against paramyxoviruses such as measles, mumps, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and parainfluenza viruses (https://tinyurl.com/mrxtfjma), and shows promise against norovirus and Ebola. The price has been kept extremely high in the U.S., but it may be available on the internet.
Chlorine Dioxide:
In addition to its use in purifying water and air, chlorine dioxide may have vast therapeutic potential, as against bioweapons, drug-resistant bacteria, viruses, cholera, and malaria.
Pierre Kory, M.D., is reviewing the history of this “universal antidote” on pierrekorymedicalmusings.com.
Symptomatic Treatment
Aspirin is not recommended for the fever and discomforts of influenza-like illness. In children and adolescents, it may increase the risk of Reye syndrome, a rare but serious inflammation of brain or liver following a viral illness. The use of aspirin, especially in high doses, may have contributed to the high mortality of the 1918 flu. Generally, ibuprofen or acetaminophen are recommended for fever and achiness. However, since fever is one of the body’s defense mechanisms, it may be preferable not to treat it unless dangerously high (say 104-105 °F). Hydroxychloroquine’s antiinflammatory as well as antiviral effects make it a choice of some physicians for early symptoms.
In a study of subjects challenged with rhinovirus, the use of aspirin and acetaminophen was associated with suppression of serum neutralizing antibody response and increased nasal symptoms and signs (tinyurl.com/256uethh). A retrospective analysis of patients hospitalized with COVID showed worse outcomes in patients receiving acetaminophen (tinyurl.com/4sjadvze).