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Dr Neal Barnard, president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), has warned that bird flu in poultry flocks and dairy herds could breed new, more transmissible strains of the virus.
On the PCRM podcast, Barnard described animal farms as “not particularly hygienic,” creating many opportunities for the bird flu virus to find new hosts. He said that by buying animal products such as eggs and dairy, people are “supporting this huge cauldron of viral replication.”
There have been egg shortages and egg price hikes in the US recently as a result of millions of chickens dying or being killed due to bird flu. PCRM podcast host Chuck Carroll said he has witnessed people fighting over eggs in grocery stores. In response, Dr. Barnard said: “We should be doing the opposite of fighting for them, we should we should be banning them.”
Read more: Raw Cat Food Recalled After Cats Fall Sick With Bird Flu
He added: “I know that’s a tall order for people who thought you couldn’t start breakfast without an egg but if we did not have chickens on egg farms, chickens on poultry farms, if we didn’t have cows being boxed up and shipped across state lines, we wouldn’t have flu like this.”
Other experts and peer-reviewed research have also warned of the pandemic risk posed by intensively farming animals. The former head of the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) has also warned specifically of the likelihood of a bird flu pandemic.
Egg alternatives
Dr. Barnard warned that “stronger steps” need to be taken to avoid a more dangerous strain of bird flu emerging. But one easy thing that individuals can do is use plant-based alternatives to eggs.
Instead of scrambled eggs, Dr. Barnard recommends scrambled tofu. “There has never been a case of “to-flu,” he jokes. He also suggests Just Egg, which comes in liquid and patty forms, and is made with a base of protein from mung beans. People who eat chicken should also consider alternatives, as well as asking for healthcare providers for vaccines that are not made using eggs.
“If you’re going to go to the store and buy some chicken, don’t get that,” said Dr. Barnard. “Because every time you do that you are voting for another pandemic … And if you’re getting a flu shot or whatever, ask for the one that is not made from eggs.” He said if we all took those steps we would not be facing the risk of further pandemics.
Read more: First Human Case Of Bird Flu Confirmed In Nevada As New Strain Circulates
