First it was the Bubonic Plague and the Spanish Flu, then Ebola, Covid-19, Monkeypox, and now it’s H5N1—better known as Avian Influenza Virus.
Just when we thought it was somewhat safe to resume our pre-Covid Thanksgiving rituals along comes another highly pathogenic virus. The primary risk factor for human infection from Avian Flu appears to be exposure to infected live or dead poultry or contaminated environments.
Although transmission from birds to humans is rare, Avian Flu has decimated the bird population and made Thanksgiving Turkey a scarce commodity.
Climate change and habitat infringement are increasing the spread of disease as animals are forced out of their natural habitat and coming in closer contact with other species including humans. Changing water temperature and altered migratory wild bird patterns have led to increased contact with domestic poultry and humans.
The spread of Avian Flu along with inflation and supply shortages have also affected the price of this year’s turkeys. Farmers and processors are paying more for feed, fuel and labor and these costs are being passed on to consumers.
So, if you haven’t ordered your Thanksgiving turkey yet, you might be out of luck.
You could always throw together some wheat gluten, nutritional yeast, miso paste
and vegetable broth, and call it a “Vegan Turkey.” A plant-based holiday might help save the planet and a few turkeys along the way.
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Website: www.jeffmkey.com
