In January 2025, the United States reported its first fatal human case of H5N1 avian influenza, or “bird flu.” The patient contracted the virus through exposure to backyard chickens and wild birds. While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that the risk of human-to-human transmission is currently low, experts warn that prolonged circulation of the virus increases the chance of mutations that could spark a deadly pandemic. The strain recently found in cows at dairy farms may need only one mutation to enable it to spread among humans, according to a study.
While this was the first bird flu fatality in the United States, since 2003 954 people have been sickened by H5N1 globally, and about half of them have died.
Factory Farming: A Breeding Ground for Disease
Industrial farming practices heighten pandemic risks by enabling viruses to evolve into more dangerous forms. At factory farms, animals are crammed together in filthy conditions, which not only cause suffering for the animals but create the perfect environment for bird flu to spread and mutate. Over 130 million farmed birds in the United States have died or been killed since 2022 due to outbreaks.
To stop the spread of the virus where it is detected, farmers kill flocks all at once, a practice the industry calls “depopulation.” One method of mass on-farm killing is ventilation shut down, closing off a facility’s ventilation system until the animals inside slowly die from heatstroke. Other methods include drowning birds with firefighting foam and piping carbon dioxide into sealed barns.
Domestic Cats and Bird Flu
Farmed and wild animals aren’t the only ones susceptible to bird flu. Recent cases involving domestic cats have raised alarm. Dozens of cats have contracted the virus through contaminated raw food or exposure to infected birds. These tragic cases highlight the virus’s ability to jump between species, increasing concerns about its potential to adapt further.
Urgent Action Is Needed
Factory farming is a ticking time bomb regarding pandemic risk, and reforms to our broken food system are needed to prevent a public health crisis. A 2023 joint statement from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, World Organisation for Animal Health, and World Health Organization reads, “Avian influenza viruses normally spread among birds, but the increasing number of H5N1 avian influenza detections among mammals—which are biologically closer to humans than birds are—raises concern that the virus might adapt to infect humans more easily.”
While corporations cut corners to make as much money as possible, animals, workers, and communities pay the price. The Industrial Agriculture Accountability Act (IAA), legislation requiring corporations to take responsibility for the pandemic risk they cause, is necessary to prevent the cruel on-farm killing of countless animals and protect human health. Call on your members of Congress to pass the IAA now!
And remember, we can all do our part by eating plant-based foods and refusing to support cruel industries that not only cause immense suffering but jeopardize public health.
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