OPINION: Could bird flu be the next global pandemic?
Action For Animal HealthJan 26, 2022
According to data released on Thursday from the US Dept. of Agriculture, an unprecedented outbreak of avian flu, which began in February, has so far killed over 50M birds in the US – a record high.
The country's deadliest outbreak — spread across 46 states — has reportedly wiped out more than 8M turkeys, leading to a stunted supply of eggs and record-high turkey meat prices, contributing to expensive Thanksgiving celebrations this year.
While HPAI is currently mostly contained to birds, there's no telling how quickly this could change. It's a rapidly evolving disease that — as more and more people become infected — could very likely become the next global pandemic. It's time to be proactive rather than reactive and ramp up investment in animal health systems.
Research has shown that bird flu poses a minute risk to humans, and — while every precaution should be taken — the media needs to be careful not to spread alarmism needlessly. Rather than focusing on manufactured problems, there needs to be a concerted effort to fight the existing effects of this outbreak on people's livelihoods in an already tumultuous economic environment.