by Julius Lindner ‘26

What is the bird flu?
The avian influenza, in popular parlance also known as bird flu, is a virus that usually spreads amongst birds and sometimes even other animals like cats or cattle. Like other viruses, it has mutations which are potentially more dangerous to humans. Based on the two proteins, which each have multiple subtypes, they can be divided into two groups: highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) or low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI), the main difference being that HPAI virus causes more deaths. But some LPAI viruses can change into HPAI viruses and therefore have to be closely monitored. The avian influenza has been around for a long time but the first HPAI outbreak in the U.S. occurred in 2015 and the second outbreak began in February of 2022 and has been ongoing ever since.

How does it spread?
The avian influenza occurs naturally among wild aquatic birds and some of them, such as ducks, may not even get sick. Nevertheless, it is really contagious as contact with saliva, nasal secretions, or feces of an infected bird can be enough to spread it. From wild birds it easily spreads to domestic animals like poultry, who can infect each other. But not only birds can get infected, as many mammals have died of the avian flu and its victims range seem to widen. On March 24 in England, the avian flu firstly was detected in a sheep and the British government says it adds to the growing list of mammals infected by the disease, which is fuelling fears of a pandemic.

Is the bird flu dangerous for humans? How high is the risk of people getting infected?
The avian flu can be dangerous to humans, and there are 70 reported cases of humans getting infected in the U.S. and one death. The current public health risk is still low and the general public is not in danger, according to infectious disease experts. This is mainly due to the fact that it doesn’t appear to spread from person to person.

When someone gets sick, it usually takes 3 to 5 days for the first symptoms to appear after they have been infected. It causes symptoms like aching muscles, a headache, a cough or shortness of breath, chest pain and many more.

What are the impacts on the economy?
Since this outbreak started in 2022, 868 commercial poultry flocks in the U.S have been affected and therefore the economic consequences have been substantial. The avian influenza has caused an estimated $1.41 billion burden on consumers in 2024. It affected 38.4 million commercial egg-laying birds which led to a shortage of eggs and an increase in prices. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, retail egg prices reached $4.95 per dozen this past January, an increase of 96 percent compared to January 2024. Apart from eggs other animals including broilers (meat chicken) and turkeys have been affected.

What is the Trump administration planning on doing?
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced a $1 billion plan to help U.S. farmers deal with the avian influenza. Officials said they will budget $500m for biosecurity measures, roughly $100m for vaccine research and development, and $400m for farmer financial relief programs.
However, it will take some time to resolve the issue. “It won’t erase the problem overnight,” said agriculture secretary Brook Rollins. According to Rollins, the egg, poultry, and dairy market will likely not stabilize for another “three to six months.”