Bird flu cases spike; concerns over spread between humans rise

Bird flu, or H5N1, is rising at poultry farms across the country. The biggest spike of bird flu occurred in 2024, when egg prices soared between $8 and $10 as commercial flocks were depopulated to control the flu. Julia Musto reports for The Independent that 1.32 billion birds have sickened over the past month.

  

Clinton County, Illinois, is facing the biggest outbreak, with 934,600 ill birds and two farms under quarantine. Minnesota, Wisconsin and North Dakota trail behind. 

Humans can be infected if the virus enters the eyes, nose, mouth or is inhaled. It is typically spread through the infected saliva or fecal matter of an ill bird/animal. H5N1 has a 50% mortality rate in humans.

 
The sickness is currently unable to spread from human to human, but scientists say it is only a matter of time. Bird flu can spread to cows from birds, and it is now being tracked in wild birds like geese, mallards, turkeys, pelicans and vultures. It has recently spread to mink and has the ability to spread between minks.

“Mink have similar lungs and airways to people and past research has shown they are susceptible to spreading human viruses, including bird flu.” This could help H5N1 mutate toward human to human spread, which may facilitate a possible pandemic-level spread of bird flu.