Bird flu outbreak: Is Spain at risk?

Since late March 2024, US health authorities have been on alert after the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus HPAI A(H5N1) was confirmed in 86 herds of dairy cows distributed across ten states in the country.

Texas, New Mexico, Michigan, Kansas, Idaho, Ohio, North Carolina, South Dakota, Colorado and Wyoming are among the areas affected by the outbreak, which has raised concerns in the dairy industry and among health officials. Meanwhile, dairy consumers are wondering if it is safe to drink their morning glass of milk and whether people could become infected the next time.

On April 1, a dairy farm worker in Texas was diagnosed with the virus, marking an alarming public health milestone. The case marks the first time the virus has been detected in cattle and the first time it has been transmitted from mammals to humans. That case was followed by two more cases in May at two affected farms in Michigan.

Meat, milk and eggs contaminated with the virus

In early April, Cal-Maine Foods, Inc., the largest U.S. egg producer, said it had temporarily shut down production at a plant in Texas after confirming that chickens there were infected with bird flu. Similarly, authorities confirmed that an outbreak of the virus had also been detected at a poultry plant in Michigan.

Bird flu has been a concern for years, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recording nearly 86 million cases of the disease among birds in the U.S. since 2016.

In late May, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed the presence of the bird flu virus in beef for the first time. The discovery occurred during routine inspections of animals slaughtered at meat processing plants.

Federal inspectors found signs of the disease in 96 dairy cows, which were removed from the food supply. The USDA is working closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other agencies to investigate the origin of the virus and prevent its spread.

Rise of zoonoses

Zoonotic diseases – or zoonoses – are diseases that are transmitted from animals to people, often through blood, feces, and body fluids.

COVID-19, SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome), MERS, Ebola, and H1N1 (swine flu) are all believed to have originated in animals. In fact, according to the World Health Organization, 75% of new or emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic in origin.

Factory farms, where pigs, chickens, cows and other animals are raised in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions, create conditions that encourage the spread of these diseases. Stress weakens the animals’ immune systems, further accelerating outbreaks.

Is Spain in danger?

While the rapid spread of cases is so far limited to the United States, experts agree that it is also important to be vigilant in Spain, especially after an outbreak of bird flu was detected at a mink farm in Galicia in early 2023, leading to the culling of all the animals.

It is also important to remember that in the 2021-2022 season, 90 outbreaks have been detected in wild birds, 36 in poultry and three in captive birds in Spain, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. In this sense, Joaquim Segales, researcher at the Animal Health Research Center of the Institute of Agri-Food Research and Technology, points out that “with the infections in the United States, we are talking about outbreaks that occur over distances of thousands of kilometers, which means that it can apparently occur anywhere if there is contact with infected birds. So there is a risk.”

Investigators from the animal rights organization Animal Equality have captured unsanitary conditions on factory farms and slaughterhouses around the world. Among the most alarming findings are:

Prevent the next pandemic

Because factory farms where animals are crowded together in unsanitary conditions contribute to the spread of zoonotic diseases, we can help prevent the next outbreak.

The recent outbreak of bird flu in the United States, which has infected cattle and farm workers, is a new and alarming episode that highlights the serious consequences of industrial animal agriculture.

At Animal Equality, we have been warning for years about the dangers this production model poses to public health, the environment and, of course, animals.

The concentration of thousands of animals in small spaces, as well as overcrowding and unsanitary conditions, create the perfect breeding ground for the spread of zoonotic diseases such as avian influenza. This outbreak is not an isolated event, but rather adds to a long list of diseases that have emerged or worsened as a result of industrial animal farming, such as E. coli, salmonella, and swine flu.

It is time to take urgent action to change our food system and choose a more sustainable and ethical model that ensures public health, respects animals and protects the environment, and that allows us to leave behind the inefficiencies of industrial animal agriculture.

Animal Equality works to improve the food system by encouraging a shift to sustainable, affordable, and ethical food that helps people, animals, and the planet. Let’s not forget that we can all end the impacts of factory farming and animal cruelty by choosing plant-based foods. Through Love Veg, we offer cruelty-free alternatives to animal products.

AUTHOR’S NOTE: This article was originally written by Lauren Halapi, Head of Communications for Animal Equality in the US, and translated, adapted and updated by Carolina Gil-Castaldo, Head of Communications for Animal Equality in Spain.