NON-Covid Update: March 31st 2022

Bird-flu outbreak and why we care

Today I want to share a bit more information on the current Bird flu outbreak in the US and abroad. I know this isn't COVID but it is relevant to all of us for a host of reasons, and of course, it is a public health issue and I am a public health person.

Most of you know that we are experiencing a bird flu outbreak. To get you up to speed, the first case of bird flu in the US since 2016 was detected in wild birds in South Carolina in January 2022. In February, the first report of it being in commercial birds was reported in Indiana and since then, at least 18 states are reporting commercial outbreaks. Basically, wild birds fly over commercial locations and poop as they are flying by. Workers step in said poop and carry it into areas where the commercial birds are, or it just falls in from the sky, depending on the type of facility.

Very strict protocols are in place to isolate and/or cull the poultry once the disease is detected. And we are having good success with that....but of course, as long as it is in wild birds, our ability to control it is limited. Obviously, controlling the disease among commercial poultry is much easier than controlling the spread among wild birds, and certainly considerably easier than controlling diseases among humans. First, we can quarantine birds for any length of time and they have no say in it. Also, large numbers of birds can be culled - not something we do to humans - obviously.

There are two reasons you care about this. 1)the more sick commercial birds there are, the fewer birds there are available in the grocery store. The fewer birds available, the higher the price of the ones that are available. It interrupts our food supply and increases the cost. (mostly turkeys, hens, chickens). On my last visit to the grocery store, there were exactly 4 chickens in the poultry section - 4 chickens, nothing else no legs, no breasts, no thighs, not wings, no zip. And those chickens were $12 per chicken! Typically, where I live, a whole chicken is about $3-4.

Reason #2: It is an H5N1 virus. Now that may not mean much to you, but that makes it an influenza type A virus. Influenza A is known to circulate in seven known species. Human influenza type A (the most severe form of human flu) is currently circulating among humans as either H1N1 or H3N2. A virus can mutate with other members of its same viral family. This means, as an influenza type A virus, it can not only spread to humans but it can mutate the human version of influenza A. So should H5N1 (bird flu) and H1N1 (human flu) meet up in the same host, the virus can mutate into something novel. This is called, antigenic shift - you may recall we talked about this before with COVID. Because bird flu spreads more easily than human flu and is often more deadly, an antigenic shift between them has the potential to be very deadly. Now that doesn't mean it will be, but the risk is very real. So managing the current outbreak is important. So while that is happening, we may find ourselves eating more fish for a while.

FINAL THOUGHTS: I hope your day is filled with laughter, surprises, and things that make you smile.