Bird Flu Outbreaks: When will we learn our lesson?
ERICA CIRINO: Since the new version of H5N1 first turned up, this highly transmissible and lethal strain of avian flu has circulated at high rates among domestic fowl on backyard and commercial farms, resulting in the deaths of a reported 37 million birds on farms in the United States alone. Some died directly from the of infection, while many others were culled as part of the country’s response to the disease outbreak. Bird flu has spread to at least 176 commercial farms and 134 backyard bird farms, housing mainly poultry like chickens and turkeys, across 34 states.
It has hit especially…