Bird Flu Has Become a Year-Round Issue While Spreading to New Countries

by Mindy Cohn

The Avian flu, which was first the cause of chicken prices rising during COVID and now the cause of egg prices skyrocketing, has spread to new corners of the world as wild birds transmit the virus to poultry, creating a year-round problem rather than seasonal.

Whereas poultry in the Northern Hemisphere were considered to be most at risk during spring migration, when wild birds were active, the rising virus levels in wild birds mean poultry are now at year-round risk.

The continued record outbreaks of the Avian flu, which, when detected, mean the destruction of the entire flock, is creating a serious threat to the world's food supply of both chicken and eggs.

Eggs continue to set record prices after the flu wiped out tens of millions of chickens since last year. 

Experts suggest that wild birds are primarily responsible for spreading the virus since waterfowl, unlike chickens, can carry the disease without dying. The wild birds then infect poultry while farmers' best efforts to protect their flocks are failing dismally.

Fifty-eight million chickens were killed over the past year, surpassing the previous 2015 record. 

Experts claim that the Avian flu is infecting a broader range of wild birds than before, including birds that do not migrate long distances. The locally infected wild birds are causing the virus to continue throughout the year, which hasn't happened before.

Photo Credit: Flickr