Bird Flu Outbreak: What You Need to Know About This Current Health Threat

By: Alexandra Brown

Avian influenza, also known as “bird flu” has become a more widespread health concern during recent months. 

The major differences between bird flu and COVID-19 are transmission and symptoms. Bird flu has no proven cases of human-to-human transmission like COVID-19. While flu-like symptoms are common for both, bird flu is more likely to cause eye irritation.

Students at Wright have concerns about what this outbreak means for the future. “How is it transmitted? Are we going to have another pandemic?” first-year student Iris Salgado questions. 

Bird flu is a virus that mainly affects birds and some mammals like cattle. “Bird flu is usually spread through close contact between birds,” says Alicia Anzaldo, a biology professor at Wright College. 

“The virus can be in particles, in the air, in the ground. And so when they [the animals] move, when they touch, when they exchange bodily fluids, it can be transmitted. You may have heard that there are people that have been working closely with poultry and cattle that have contracted the virus. That's because, again, those viral particles are in the air. So if they are coming in contact with the fluids, if they touch their nose, their mouth, their eyes, it's being transmitted to humans."

While there is no current evidence of human-to-human transmission, Anzaldo states, “We have to respect the virus for its ability to mutate very quickly. If an individual ends up with two different viruses in their body, at the same time, they have the ability to switch genes, and it can lead to a more resistant strain, more powerful strain that has the ability to infect humans. Ultimately, their job is to get into that whole cell and replicate. They need ourselves [a host] in order to make more copies of themselves. Those mutations can lead to adaptations for that purpose.”

Sporadic human infections of bird flu have been reported dating back to 2022, however, there was a recent uptick in the number of human cases. The reason for the growing transmission is, “The mutations of the virus. It's a different strain that has become more deadly. And just like in humans, there's a reason we get flu shots every year because the virus is adapting. My assumption is it's evolving and it's a more deadly form,” says Anzaldo.

Egg prices soar at a local grocery store. Photo Credits: Alicia Anzaldo

Bird flu affects large numbers of animals that are used for food products; chickens and cows. It is important to prepare these products in a safe way to mitigate the risk of contracting the virus. Fully cooking these foods and using pasteurized products are a good precautionary measure to take.

Anzaldo says, “The pasteurization process kills the virus. There's no evidence that eating, meat and drinking those products once they've gone through the process, can lead to developing contracting the virus.” 

High egg prices have brought attention to the virus. Many stores have low quantities of eggs and high prices. Business major Bruno Redican says that the high prices have been linked to low levels of supply. “If one bird in the flock has it, they have to all be killed. This increases the value of healthy eggs because there are fewer of them.”

Bird flu also has a large ecological impact. Anzaldo states that “Sandhill cranes have been devastated by it… they're finding dead animals on the water.” Bird flu has ravaged certain bird species, and has killed a Chilean flamingo and harbor seal in Lincoln Park Zoo. 

This can be seen further with the recent incident of hundreds of dead birds found along the shore of Lake Michigan. The birds are believed to be victims of the virus.

Anzaldo says, “I just want people to know how important it is to continue to research these areas and to develop vaccines ahead of being in a situation where it's dire.”

Moving forward, people should stay alert and cautious about bird flu, but there is no reason to panic yet. Bird flu mainly affects people who have been in close contact with infected animals. Be mindful of pets, and prepare food in safe ways to minimize contraction.