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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Health
Melody Schreiber

What is bird flu, and should you be worried about it?

dead birds on a beach
Dead birds on a Long Island beach that authorities suspect avian flu as the cause in Suffolk county, New York, in February. Photograph: Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty Images

Bird flu has been spreading in North America since late 2021, but recently the situation has taken some concerning turns.

In January, the first person in the US died from bird flu. In February, two more people were hospitalized, and officials detected two new spillovers into cows, indicating the virus is here to stay among livestock and farm workers. The price of eggs has also skyrocketed as bird flu moves through egg-laying chickens.

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