Recently, there has been a rise in cases of the bird flu, a viral infection that spreads in birds and other mammals. This infection has caused an uproar of increased worry and concern due to how fast it has begun to spread, with many fearing it will soon begin to spread to humans and quickly become out of control.

The bird flu, also known as H5N1 or the avian influenza, has begun its fast paced spread through birds and many other mammals. The increased price of eggs as a result of this surge of the virus has become a concern for households. Due to the bird flu and the effects it has on birds, such as chickens in this case, many farmers have been forced to kill off many of their chickens, which–in turn–has caused the prices of eggs to rise. 

This virus has been around for decades; it was first discovered in 1878 in northern Italy and referred to as the “fowl plague.” However, after it was discovered to be a virus, the name was changed to what we now know as avian influenza. There have been multiple outbreaks of the bird flu throughout history, such as the waterfowl outbreak in China in the 90’s. 

While it is a highly contagious virus that spreads quickly, it actually doesn’t have an effect on some mammals at all. This virus has been studied by scientists and it has been discovered that it only affects certain species, cows being one notable example. While many are worried about this virus spreading to humans, it is very rare for humans to contract this disease.The risk of H5N1 spreading to the public is low, but just because it won’t affect us directly doesn’t mean it won’t have lasting impacts on our daily life, especially where it concerns food and livestock.