Bird flu, or highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), has far-reaching effects on public health, the food supply, and even the global economy. While human-to-human transmission hasn’t occurred, its potential to mutate poses significant concerns. Understanding how bird flu impacts us today — and how science is working to mitigate its risks — is essential.
In this blog post, we’ll explore the realities of bird flu, its effects on food prices, the role of vaccines, and practical tips to stay safe. Let’s break it down into manageable pieces so you’re fully informed.
Bird flu primarily affects birds, especially poultry, like chickens and turkeys. However, certain strains, such as H5N1, have occasionally infected humans. While these cases are rare, they carry a high mortality rate of over 50%, making the virus particularly dangerous if contracted.
Here’s the good news: Bird flu isn’t currently spreading from person to person. The bad news? Experts worry about a process called reassortment, where bird flu and human flu viruses could mix in someone infected with both. This could result in a highly contagious and deadly strain capable of causing a pandemic.
Despite some conspiracy theories, no laboratory is working on gain-of-function research to make bird flu more transmissible. These myths are counterproductive, distracting from real medical efforts to monitor and control the virus.
If you’ve noticed higher prices at the grocery store, bird flu is partly to blame. The virus has disrupted the poultry industry and the broader food supply chain.
When bird flu outbreaks occur, millions of chickens are culled to prevent the virus from spreading. This reduction in supply causes egg prices to skyrocket, leaving many of us paying more for our morning omelets.
Bird flu also affects dairy products. The demand for poultry feed drives up costs for dairy farmers, who often rely on the same feed. Additionally, in rare cases, parts of the bird flu virus have been detected in raw milk. This is yet another reason to avoid raw, unpasteurized milk and stick to pasteurized dairy products for safety.
Vaccines are at the heart of our response to bird flu, but they serve different purposes for birds and humans.
Scientists are developing vaccines for poultry to control the virus in bird populations. These vaccines could:
While these efforts are promising, it will take time before poultry vaccines are widely implemented.
For humans, H5N1 vaccines are available for at-risk workers like poultry farmers and wildlife handlers. However:
