The U.S. faces an escalating bird flu outbreak that’s already impacting food prices and raising concerns about human-to-human transmission, leaving the next president with a potential health crisis.
Nicholas Florko reports for The Atlantic.
In short:
- Millions of birds have died from bird flu since 2022, and the virus is spreading to mammals and a few humans.
- U.S. health agencies are struggling to coordinate an effective response, while some states resist federal oversight on farms.
- Rising food prices, particularly for eggs, are linked to the outbreak, and human health risks remain unclear.
Key quote:
"Either Trump or Kamala Harris will inherit an H5N1 response that has been nightmarishly complex, controversial, and at times slow."
— Nicholas Florko, staff writer at The Atlantic
Why this matters:
The stakes go beyond biosecurity. Rising food prices, especially for eggs, are already hitting people where it hurts—at the grocery store. And while the risk to human health remains murky, the potential for a spillover event adds a new layer of unease. It's a test of leadership in a world that’s learning (again) that pandemics don’t play by political rules. Read more: Severe flooding increasingly cutting people off from health care.
