The news comes as a blow to efforts to contain the virus. On Wednesday, Australia confirmed its first human case of H5N1 bird flu, marking the spread of the deadly strain to every inhabited continent. The patient, a child returning from India, is now recovering in hospital.
For workers in the poultry industry, this is yet another reminder of how fragile the global food chain has become. In the North, where chicken processing plants employ thousands, union leaders are already demanding better protective equipment and sick pay. The virus has wiped out flocks across Asia and Europe, driving up egg prices by 15 per cent in the UK alone.
Meanwhile, the government insists the risk to the public remains low. But for those on the minimum wage, a rise in the cost of protein hits harder. Every penny counts when you are feeding a family.
The World Health Organisation says the situation is serious but not yet a pandemic. Yet as the virus circles the globe, the working class bears the brunt of every broken link in the supply chain.
