Regarding your recent online headline “What to know about bird flu in Washington State”:
If you’re concerned about bird flu, I have a suggestion to slow the virus’s spread, help animals, and protect the environment: Go vegan! Intensive animal factories — where most animals used for food are confined — are hotbeds for zoonotic diseases, including bird flu. Humans who have contact with infected animals can catch bird flu, as can anyone who touches a contaminated surface, such as an eggshell, and then touches their eyes, nose or mouth.
The virus can also be inhaled via droplets or dust. To reduce the risk of bird flu, we should all enjoy vegan foods. Nationwide companies make vegan meats and dairy-free milks, and instead of eggs, you can use bananas, applesauce, ground flaxseeds or commercial egg replacers in baked goods. You can also enjoy Just Eggs with vegan sausage or vegan bacon.
Going vegan will not only help slow the spread of bird flu, but it will also reduce animal suffering and combat the climate catastrophe and other environmental problems. For more information and a free vegan starter kit, visit PETA.org.
Heather Moore
The PETA Foundation
