Since its emergence in U.S. poultry in February 2022, the H5N1 bird flu virus has caused the deaths or culling of over 166 million birds, leading to skyrocketing egg prices. Experts now believe that the virus is likely to persist, prompting discussions about alternative strategies to mass culling, including targeted depopulation and vaccination efforts. However, these alternatives come with potential logistical, economic, and environmental challenges that may outweigh their benefits. The highly contagious and lethal nature of H5N1 necessitates immediate and effective responses to control the outbreak.
The current version of the bird flu - known as H5N1 2.3.4.4b - is both highly contagious and highly lethal, with a mortality rate of nearly 100%.
Dr. Maurice Pitesky explained that culling is considered common sense due to its historical efficacy in quickly controlling outbreaks of bird flu.
Collection
[
|
...
]