The World Is Addicted to Chicken. So Is the Bird Flu Virus
A rapidly spreading epidemic is endangering much more than festive turkeys.
A farmer checks on his flock of turkeys, kept under shelter all year to prevent exposure to avian influenza, in Delaware, US, on Nov. 14
Photographer: Nathan Howard/Getty Images
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The bird flu outbreak ravaging global poultry flocks is now the worst since records began, driving a spike in the price of eggs, threatening free-range chicken and risking long-term impacts to animal health.
The avian flu season traditionally begins each October as migratory birds shed infected droppings or saliva while leaving cool areas of the Northern Hemisphere. But this year cases spread rapidly in warmer months, supercharging the virus and prompting mass culls.