Bird Flu Scare Leads to Rising Food Costs, Not Much Else

Bird Flu Scare Leads to Rising Food Costs, Not Much Else

STATEWIDE - As the nation’s media attempts to hype up the next potential pandemic scare with H5N1, the greatest impact from this illness seems to only be rising food prices. Ohio is leading the nation in bird flu cases with numbers reaching over 6 million. Despite this, Ohio has had zero cases of human infection.

“We're pushing over 6 million,” said Ohio Department of Agriculture Director Brian Baldridge. “We're cautious to talk about exact numbers until everything is confirmed, because it's ever ongoing. As we work through this, hoping the end is near here and in sight.”

Numbers of the virus allegedly expanded last month within the chicken population, leading to producers following advice from the Ohio Department of Agriculture, which advises to kill any infected animals to prevent spread. The process of culling stock has led to record-high prices of eggs and poultry leading to some questioning the process and if it is the best course of action.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has stated on several occasions that bird flu cannot be transmitted through cooked chicken or  eggs, yet this hasn’t stopped mass culling in major producing areas. A recent case in Georgia led to the killing of roughly 130,000 birds making egg and meat shortages almost an inevitability.

Still, the fear-based move seems to be pushing full-steam ahead, while ignoring a recent study into human cases of bird flu, showing that human transmission, while extremely rare, nearly always leads to mild symptoms and no mortalities. In short, the only people contracting this illness are farmer workers touching the sick birds and even then, its barely anything to worry about.

What is of significant concern, is the national impact the cull of chicken stock is having on food prices and basic nutrition. Chicken has long since been recognized as one of the healthier meat-based protein options and eggs are an incredibly good source of Choline, which is essential in brain health and cognitive function. Additionally, it has been known by many well-researched doctors, that natural cholesterol is actually beneficial in healing damage to arteries caused by various factors, including sugar intake and limiting that cholesterol can lead to significant damage to the body through multiple factors or even inhibit healing of the arteries when it would be needed most by half of the country.

The desire then to dwindle the supply of what was a cheap and abundant food source so fundamental to health and wellbeing of the nation, when arterial damage to most is at an all time high, is leaving many scratching their heads in contemplation of if the move is deliberately destructive. 

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