Now that minks are getting sick, experts are watching for two signals to indicate whether avian influenza could jump into the human population. But underfunding makes their job harder.

WATCHARA PHOMICINDA/MEDIANEWS GROUP/THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE/GETTY IMAGES

https://newrepublic.com/article/170673/bird-flu-mink-avian

An assistant manager carries a hen at Maust’s California Poultry in January 2023.

The biggestbird flu outbreakever recorded couldn’t have come at a worse time for a country still battered by Covid-19, as conservative lawmakers move torestrictthe research that helps us understand such viruses. H5N1, which was first identified in 1996, has been moving among North American birds since December 2021, with devastating consequences for poultry farmers who have had to cull millions of birds. Consumers, too, have taken a hit as the culls contribute tosoaring egg prices, though that may be due in part toopportunismfrom egg suppliers. Now, there’s evidence that avian influenza is also spreading…