Is it time to worry about bird flu?

A practical guide to your bird flu fears.

In 2021, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, avian flu began aggressively circulating in wildlife. Dead and sick birds began showing up on shorelines. Poultry farms were forced to cull millions of animals, often in horrific ways, to help stop the spread. Egg prices skyrocketed. Farmers lost millions of dollars. The problem doesn’t stop with birds; avian flu has also been found in a wide range of mammals. More than 24,000 sea lions in South America have reportedly died from it. Then, on January 6, 2025, the US reported the first human death. It’s an alarming development, but fortunately an outlier. The truth is avian flu still poses little threat to humans. But if we’re not worried now, when should we be?


Support our work. Become a Vox Member today: http://www.vox.com/memberships

Subscribe to our channel and turn on notifications (🔔) so you don't miss any videos: http://goo.gl/0bsAjO

Sources and further reading:

Resources on Avian flu from the CDC:
https://www.cdc.gov/bird-flu/situatio...
https://www.cdc.gov/bird-flu/avian-ti...

For more from the USDA including a map of where it is on farms:
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-...

For more coverage from Vox:
https://www.vox.com/even-better/37080...
https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/36...
https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/39...
https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/20...
https://www.vox.com/even-better/24145...
https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/24...
https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/24...


Subscribe to our channel! http://goo.gl/0bsAjO

Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com.

Watch our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/IZONyE
Follow Vox on Facebook: http://goo.gl/U2g06o
Or Twitter: http://goo.gl/XFrZ5H