Since January 2022, over 166 million birds have been hit by bird flu in the United States. In January, a man died after being infected by the virus and the state epidemilog Magnus Gisslén has stated that the Public Health Authority follows the development closely.
As a consequence of the rampant spread of infection, egg prices have rushed and caused Americans to worry about where it should end.
The country’s new health minister, Robert F Kennedy JR, has in several interviews launched the idea of curbing the development of the virus – by allowing it to spread uncontrolled.
However, the proposal is sawn by experts.
– It’s a really horrible idea, for several reasons. It is bedded for disaster, says Dr. Gail Hansen to the New York Times.
The model is described as “inhuman”
The health minister’s idea is to allow the virus, called H5N1, spread through flocks to identify and preserve birds that have proven to be immune.
Doctor David Swayne, a veterinarian for 30 years, believes that the result of such a model is “inhuman”.
– It would lead to an unacceptable welfare crisis for the animals. The infections cause very painful deaths for almost 100 percent of the chickens and turkey, he says.
Robert F Kennedy Jr. is of the opinion that some of the poultry can be naturally immune to bird flu. But experts oppose this claim as the current breeding methods mean that the genetic variation is more or less non -existent.
– They are all the same bird, in principle, says Gail Hansen.
Veterinarian: Forget the chicken dinners
The current US strategy, to kill infected flocks to limit the disease from spreading, is described as a success formula that has worked since the 1980s.
Kennedy’s proposal would not only mean an uncontrolled mass death of birds, but is also considered to have serious financial consequences.
Importers in other countries may be able to ban US products, and the current high egg prices would fade in comparison.
– This is crazy. Kentucky Fried Chicken and all the chicken dinners, forget them, they are gone then, says Rocio Crespo, veterinarian at North Carolina State University to Scientific American.