Avian influenza, or Bird Flu, cases are on the rise, affecting birds, other animals, and few humans. Typically originating in chickens, the disease can kill an entire flock in 48 hours, and is spread through saliva, mucus, and feces. Similar to other flu types, symptoms of the illness include fever, cough, vomiting, shortness of breath, seizures, rash, and more.
Recently there have been many human and domestic pet cases in the US, especially on the west coast and other places like Texas, Louisiana, Colorado, Missouri, and Iowa. This peculiar pandemic is increasingly spreading, now starting to cause fatal animal cases, and also leaving humans very sick. Some people are concerned this might become the new COVID, however, Junior Sarina Sattari says, “I don’t think it will be that big of a problem, since I haven’t heard much of it, and it only really seems to be affecting animals.”
While the biggest issue of the disease is its spreading through contaminated milk and eggs at local grocery stores, the human cases are significantly less than those of animals and pets. Because products from sick dairy cows and chickens could possibly be sold, there are now poultry and egg shortages at markets until the outbreaks clear up. Junior Mia Higgins says “I feel bad for all of the animals that are passing because of the infected foods.”
Hopefully avian influenza takes a turn for the better and cases decrease, because the world does not need another pandemic scare to start off 2025.