In recent years, avian influenza H5N1, also known as bird flu, has infected thousands of animals, and it is not reserved for just the flying creatures this virus is named for. The first human death from bird flu in the United States happened this January.

Farm animals like chickens and cattle are especially affected by H5N1, which is impacting the price of animal products like eggs. Egg prices are at an all time high and projected to keep going up.

Cal-Maine, the biggest producer of eggs in the United States, reported this month that their profits had more than tripled last fiscal quarter in comparison to this time last year. 

TRANSCRIPT:

0:04: Avian influenza H5N1, better known as bird flu, has been tearing through flocks and farms across the United States and the world at large in recent years.

 0:15: The CDC says the risk to the general population is low, but those exposed to H5N1 infected animals and liquids, including raw eggs and unpasteurized milk, is moderate to high.

 0:27: It looks like there’s definitely some animal to animal transmission and animal to human transmission.

 0:33: And from what I was reading on the various sources this morning, it looks like it’s about a 50% fatality rate for people that catch it, which means none of us want bird flu.

 0:45: The spread of bird flu has been listed by many as a major contributor towards record high egg prices.

 0:52: From what from what is currently on the CDC website, they are mostly looking at bird flu in cattle and in poultry and in other agricultural-based settings, so probably things like chickens, and I know they’re blaming the cost of eggs on bird flu, which if you have to…

 1:12: The way to stop disease in a lot of times in agricultural settings is to

 1:19: prematurely kill a whole section.

 1:22: And so that likely will affect, especially with eggs, if you kill the chickens that are laying the eggs, you have less eggs.

 1:29: Despite avian influenza being blamed for these prices, America’s largest egg producer reported that their profits had nearly tripled this financial quarter from this time last year.

 1:40: No matter how the bird flu pandemic is impacting your life, it is important to be conscious of how you can limit exposure to yourself and others.

 1:48: I think something to remember is we are all connected to the ecosystem around us and so we can’t ignore viruses and epidemics moving through nonhumans also.

 1:58: And given that bird flu seems to be particularly nasty to humans, we don’t want it

 2:03: and so figuring out ways to limit the spread of bird flu is going to help all of us.

 2:08: Though cases of bird flu in humans in the United States is pretty rare, you can keep yourself and your animals safe by keeping pets like cats inside and away from exposed animals.

 2:18: This is Ali Brenneman for Chronicle TV.

Copy edited by Manuel Nocera