What’s driving avian influenza virus evolution? Human Food Systems
23 January 2025
With an increasing global human population, the demand for protein has also gone up, not just to eradicate hunger but primarily to satisfy the demand for meat by an increasing global middle class. This has resulted in farms raising large numbers of chickens at a high stocking density.
The positive and negative consequences for human and environmental health of this development are discussed by Professors Robyn Alders and Dirk Pfeiffer in the Devpolicy Blog.
They explain the story of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus outbreaks across time and raise their concerns about the risk of an influenza pandemic.
If you want to learn about challenges and recommendations in relation to the prevention of viral spillovers between animals and humans and how to contribute positively to food security and biodiversity gains, we encourage you to read this blog.
Devpolicy Blog link:
Poultry farming in Colombia (World Bank/Charlotte Kesl)