High egg prices? Bird flu outbreak could cause bigger problems

High egg prices? Bird flu outbreak could cause bigger problems
Swans pass behind an avian influenza prevention notice alongside the river Thames. (Image: Getty)
Bloomberg
By Faye FlamPerhaps we can blame covid fatigue for numbing us to the risks of other viruses. But it should be bigger news that a bird flu has mutated to spread through mammals and is ominously appearing among wild and domesticated animals around the globe. In the past, the inability to spread from one mammal to another was the barrier that prevented bird flu, H5N1 – which has a 50% fatality rate in humans – from becoming a human pandemic. It's not clear this version, which spread through minks, would be easily transmitted i...

More Opinion

The ghost of inflation past, present and future
Opinion

Warren Couillault: The ghost of inflation past, present and future

Last year’s bogeyman will remain as above-the-range inflation expected for most of 2024.

What happened to NZ Rugby’s $100m capital raise
Opinion

Trevor McKewen: What happened to NZ Rugby’s $100m capital raise

NZR has an inordinate amount on its plate right now.

Trevor McKewen 08 Dec 2023
Our tech companies are going global at an accelerating rate
Opinion

Peter Griffin: Our tech companies are going global at an accelerating rate

NZ tech companies are expected to recruit over half of their staff offshore by 2028.

Peter Griffin 07 Dec 2023
Hobson’s choice when it comes to growth
Opinion

Paul McBeth: Hobson’s choice when it comes to growth

Unthreading the regulatory patchwork will take some doing.

Paul McBeth 07 Dec 2023