Bird flu, formally known as avian influenza, is a widespread disease that started in wild birds and is now spreading and causing outbreaks in poultry and dairy farms.
Avian influenza is not a new disease. Contrary to what some may think, the first case recorded was in a small poultry farm outbreak in Scotland in 1959. The first human case was reported in Hong Kong in 1997.
The bird flu spreads through viral interactions with the virus that infects an organism. For example, poultry farms everywhere have been heavily contaminated with the virus through mutual contact between the animals and workers. Poultry workers can easily acquire and catch the disease by touching droppings or bedding and killing or preparing infected poultry. However, according to the NHS, you cannot contract the flu by consuming cooked poultry eggs, regardless of whether the region is experiencing an outbreak.
You can prevent contact by consuming pasteurized dairy products and refrigerating and cooking your eggs, meat, and poultry. Overall, avoiding contact with wild, sick, or dead birds and livestock is important.
The symptoms of bird flu are similar to those of the common cold. The flu’s threat level to human health is low; however, look for its major symptoms. Symptoms include headaches, aching muscles, coughing or shortness of breath, fever, and chills. Other symptoms that can appear later on include stomach pain, chest pain, and bleeding from the nose or gums, and sickness. Usually, it will take three to five days after coming in contact with the virus for the first symptoms to show.
Besides contaminating poultry and dairy farms, the bird flu has spread to wild animals and domestic pets. In addition to threatening humans and impacting animal life, avian flu outbreaks impact the supply and production of eggs, leading to shortages and increased prices. Due to the bird flu significantly harming bird populations globally, poultry farms and businesses reliant on their products are also affected. Farmers cannot test whether all the birds in their flock have bird flu, so if bird flu is detected in the flock, farmers kill all of their birds quickly, healthy or not. Farmers do this to try to eliminate the spread of the flu while doing their best to protect and preserve their flock.
Food companies and grocery chains have been ever-changing in adapting to the high demand and supplier shortages of eggs. Bakery industries and fast food chains are just two examples of businesses that rely on the production of eggs for their products. Jose Castillo, a co-owner of a bakery called Norma’s Sweets Bakery in New Orleans, shared with AP News about the high egg prices and how it is affecting the bakery, saying it is hard for them to keep their sandwiches and cakes affordable. “Oh, it’s hurting, man. It’s crazy how expensive eggs are,” said Castillo. “Normally we’ll get them for $35, 40 dollars a case and now we’re paying like $118, 120 dollars.”
Not only are eggs getting more expensive for people and harder to find, but when stores do have eggs, customers are now facing limits on how many eggs they can buy. Trader Joe’s announced to AP news on Tuesday, February 10, that they are now limiting customers to one carton of eggs per day; this applies to all Trader Joe’s locations across the country. “We hope these limits will help to ensure that as many of our customers who need eggs can purchase them when they visit Trader Joe’s,” the company said in a statement sent to The Associated Press. Additionally, stores like Costco, Whole Foods, Kroger, and Aldi have been reported by consumers for varying their limits, but not all of those limits are nationwide. According to AP News, a spokesperson for Kroger confirmed that the supermarket giant doesn’t currently have “enterprise-wide limits” in place but said some regional divisions and store banners are asking customers to limit egg purchases to two dozen per trip.
Additionally, there have been growing reports of people stealing eggs from sheds, farms, and restaurants. In one case, 100,000 eggs were reported stolen from the back of a trailer in Pennsylvania. Those eggs were worth about $40,000.
There is no official vaccination yet to treat avian influenza. However, if you believe you have symptoms of the bird flu, you will be advised to stay home or be cared for in a hospital while isolated from other patients. If identified early, you can treat bird flu through antiviral medications such as Oseltamivir or Zanamivir. These antiviral drug medications help reduce the severity of the patient’s condition while working to prevent any complications and improving the chances of survival.
Sources:
H5 Bird Flu: Current Situation | Bird Flu | CDC
Avian Flu, Egg Prices and Ensuring Supply
Oseltamivir (Tamiflu): Uses, Side Effects, Interactions, Pictures, Warnings & Dosing – WebMD
