The experts are watching a new pandemic now

This latest strain of avian flu is one of the most infectious diseases known, and authorities are taking drastic steps to control it. On farms, if one bird falls ill, the entire flock must be culled. In Japan, many prefectures are struggling to find land to bury the 17 million chickens culled. — Reuters

In the last year or so, virologists have been watching a deadly pandemic spread around the world, killing tens of millions. No, it’s not Covid-19. And yes, I’m deadly serious.

It’s not killing humans though (not now anyway) but birds. It’s in fact a panzootic, as an animal pandemic is called. Bird flu, or more precisely, highly pathogenic avian influenza, is to blame. So why are virologists on alert? I’ll explain later, but first, here’s how devastating this disease is for birds.