This year’s avian influenza season started unusually early and at an alarming rate, with outbreaks reported in the United States, Japan, and several European countries. Unprecedented levels of the virus have been observed for this time of year. The highly pathogenic H5N1 strain is also suspected to have reached Australia for the first time, following the discovery of hundreds of dead seal pups on sub-Antarctic Heard Island. The rapid spread has sparked fears of a new avian influenza crisis. Since the avian influenza season began in October, the virus has taken a heavy toll on animals, resulting in the mass killing of hundreds of thousands of poultry birds worldwide and a significant loss of wildlife. According to data from the World Organization for Animal Health, approximately 907,222 poultry birds either died or were killed due to the highly pathogenic virus in September, most of them in the Americas.

“It is deeply concerning that mass killings of animals have become the new normal in the fight against avian influenza. To truly end the suffering, we must move beyond symptom control and address the root causes of the problem. Fur farming and factory farming are breeding grounds for pandemics: overcrowded, cruel and unhygienic conditions accelerate the transmission, circulation, and mutation of viruses, like highly pathogenic avian influenza. We urgently need to reduce the number of farmed animals and end fur farming. Transitioning to smaller farms with higher animal welfare standards can lower disease risks, limit killings, animal suffering and financial loss for farmers,” says Nina Jamal, responsible for Global Affairs at FOUR PAWS.

While biosecurity, monitoring and surveillance, and vaccinations are important tools to contain outbreaks of avian influenza, they don’t address the underlying causes. Data indicates that the intensification of farming since 1940 has been linked to more than half of all zoonotic diseases in humans. And despite the threats to human health that fur farms pose, there is no surveillance, testing, nor mandatory disease reporting required by the federal government for fur farms in the U.S.

“To protect human and animal health, prevention at the source is key. We urge all governments to sign, ratify and implement the Pandemic Agreement after it is open for signature. By embracing the One Health approach, the Pandemic Agreement represents the first legally binding instrument to recognize the deep interconnection between human, environmental health, and animal welfare. It captures binding commitments to help prevent the spillover of pathogens, before humans and animals suffer,” adds Jamal.

In the United States, the Trump administration’s cuts to federal funding and staffing of agencies have left our country particularly vulnerable to avian influenza outbreaks this year. Tracking of cases and communication amongst scientists and the government have been greatly scaled back and cut completely in some cases. Wendy Puryear, a virologist at Tufts University says that “much of that infrastructure has been either completely closed down or significantly hampered.” Additionally, much of the research relating to H5N1 in humans has been halted because of funding cuts. The government shutdown only made matters worse.

However, there are still some commonsense policies that can help protect animals and public health.