Several hundred humans have been infected by this virus, and many of them have died. It can cause severe disease in humans. H5N1 is not well equipped to invade human bodies or spread very easily among humans. Our physiology essentially means that we are a little bit better defended against it than birds are.
Poultry farmers are in flock-down. The bird flu known as H5N1 is being called “the largest foreign animal disease outbreak in US history.” Vox’s Benji Jones and Johns Hopkins University researcher Tom Philpott say the virus underscores the poultry industry’s shortcomings.
This episode was produced by Avishay Artsy, edited by Amina Al-Sadi, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by Paul Robert Mounsey, and hosted by Noel King.
Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained
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