Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Bird flu: What is it and what's behind the outbreak?
Avian influenza or bird flu is caused by infection with avian (bird) influenza (flu) Type A viruses. These viruses naturally spread among wild aquatic birds worldwide and can infect domestic poultry and other bird species. This year, more bird flu cases have been reported and the outbreak seems to persist longer than usual. The H5N1 virus is the most prevalent strain this year and persisted for longer than before. In fact, as many as 160 million domestic birds have been killed by this virus or culled by farmers to stop it from spreading. The H5N1 strain is so deadly and contagious that it could infect entire flocks of domestic birds in a few days. It has not been found why this year’s virus is so persistent, but it might have been mutated to spread faster or stay longer in the environment. As so many domestic poultries have been killed or culled, supply shortages and price hikes for meat and eggs are occurring in some parts of the world. For the well-being of birds and the environment, the virus needs to be contained ASAP. And for humans, it is too much of a burden to bear in addition to the coronavirus pandemic and surging inflation. Fortunately, the risk seems to be low for humans to be infected by the current strain of H5N1 for now.
Read the article about another outbreak the world is facing.
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-63464065
Bird flu: What is it and what's behind the outbreak?
Avian influenza or bird flu is caused by infection with avian (bird) influenza (flu) Type A viruses. These viruses naturally spread among wild aquatic birds worldwide and can infect domestic poultry and other bird species. This year, more bird flu cases have been reported and the outbreak seems to persist longer than usual. The H5N1 virus is the most prevalent strain this year and persisted for longer than before. In fact, as many as 160 million domestic birds have been killed by this virus or culled by farmers to stop it from spreading. The H5N1 strain is so deadly and contagious that it could infect entire flocks of domestic birds in a few days. It has not been found why this year’s virus is so persistent, but it might have been mutated to spread faster or stay longer in the environment. As so many domestic poultries have been killed or culled, supply shortages and price hikes for meat and eggs are occurring in some parts of the world. For the well-being of birds and the environment, the virus needs to be contained ASAP. And for humans, it is too much of a burden to bear in addition to the coronavirus pandemic and surging inflation. Fortunately, the risk seems to be low for humans to be infected by the current strain of H5N1 for now.
Read the article about another outbreak the world is facing.
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-63464065
No comments:
Post a Comment