How Worried Should We Be About Bird Flu?

Bird flu has reached Australia and is spreading rapidly among wild birds, raising fears it could jump into commercial poultry flocks and put further pressure on already elevated food prices. In this week’s podcast, recorded on Aug. 11 as the outbreak continues to evolve rapidly, agriculture reporter Ben Westcott explains why eggs would be particularly vulnerable, what producers and governments are doing to contain the virus, and what previous outbreaks in the US can tell us about the potential economic fallout.

Australia had more time than most countries to prepare, but the virus remains unpredictable — with potential consequences stretching from native wildlife and poultry farms to dairy cattle and, in a worst-case scenario, humans. We look at the lessons from overseas, the rollout of vaccines for endangered wildlife and the warning signs to watch in the weeks ahead.

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