--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The largest outbreak of bird flu in…" description: "\"The largest outbreak of bird flu in American history was an H5N2 virus, which led to the deaths of 17 million domestic birds and cost the nation more t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc9/michael-greger-3039_american_the-largest-outbreak-of-bird-flu-in-amer_426612.png" --- # The largest outbreak of bird flu in American history was… ![“The largest outbreak of bird flu in American history was an H5N2 virus, which led to the deaths of 17 million domestic birds and cost the nation more than $400 million during an outbreak in Pennsylvania that started in 1983.” quote by Michael Greger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc9/michael-greger-3039_american_the-largest-outbreak-of-bird-flu-in-amer_426612.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc9/michael-greger-3039_american_the-largest-outbreak-of-bird-flu-in-amer_426612.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc9/michael-greger-3039_american_the-largest-outbreak-of-bird-flu-in-amer_426612.png) > “The largest outbreak of bird flu in American history was an H5N2 virus, which led to the deaths of 17 million domestic birds and cost the nation more than $400 million during an outbreak in Pennsylvania that started in 1983.” [Michael Greger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-greger/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A 1983 bird flu outbreak caused massive bird deaths and huge economic loss. **In simple terms:** Bird flu devastated poultry and cost billions. Key Takeaway Monitor animal disease to prevent future crises. Themes health economics epidemics agriculture Mood educational cautionary Type scientific practical When to use this quote - farm management - government response - research funding Key Concepts viral pathology food security public policy Questions to Reflect On - What lessons apply to today’s disease threats? - How can we improve surveillance? A Different Perspective The data is historical; current risks differ. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-history/) [Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bird/) [Bird flu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bird-flu/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) ## Related quotes > [For the planet's sake, I hope we have bird flu or some other thing that will reduce the population, because otherwise we're doomed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-blackmore/for-the-planet-s-sake-i-hope-we-have-bird-flu-or-some-other-thing/) [Susan Blackmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-blackmore/) > [It just seems to me that the world's kind of a mess, and the more messy it gets, the more interested I am in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-stoltz/it-just-seems-to-me-that-the-world-s-kind-of-a-mess-and-the-more/) [Eric Stoltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-stoltz/) > [“A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush…unless the bird has the flu!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ankala-subbarao/a-bird-in-the-hand-is-worth-two-in-the-bush-unless-the-bird-has-the/) [Ankala Subbarao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ankala-subbarao/) > [Disneyland's a mess. And it's not just the measles. Donald Duck has bird flu. Pocahontas has small pox. The Little Mermaid has crabs. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/disneyland-s-a-mess-and-it-s-not-just-the-measles-donald-duck-has/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [New diseases like SARS and bird flu cause anxiety in the community. People get worried, some to the extent that it even affects their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-chan/new-diseases-like-sars-and-bird-flu-cause-anxiety-in-the-community/) [Margaret Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-chan/) > [War and famine would not do. Instead, disease offered the most efficient and fastest way to kill the billions that must soon die if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-pianka/war-and-famine-would-not-do-instead-disease-offered-the-most/) Eric Pianka > [“The 21st century is no exception, with Swine Flu and Bird Flu acting as nasty reminders that rearing animals in close quarters – and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-lascelles/the-21st-century-is-no-exception-with-swine-flu-and-bird-flu-acting/) [Christopher Lascelles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lascelles/) > [China and other members should join efforts to combat serious infectious disease, such as bird flu. To enhance the cooperation on the prevention of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wen-jiabao/china-and-other-members-should-join-efforts-to-combat-serious/) [Wen Jiabao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wen-jiabao/) > [For me pressure is bird flu. I'm serious. I'm feeling a lot of pressure with the problem in Scotland. It's not fun and I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-mourinho/for-me-pressure-is-bird-flu-i-m-serious-i-m-feeling-a-lot-of-pressure/) [Jose Mourinho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-mourinho/) > [The virus in the movie 'Contagion' is based on the bird flu which came out of nowhere back in 2008. Everyone thought it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-ferguson/the-virus-in-the-movie-contagion-is-based-on-the-bird-flu-which-came/) [Craig Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-ferguson/) > [There is no bird flu in commercial stocks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-e-mann/there-is-no-bird-flu-in-commercial-stocks/) [Michael E. Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-e-mann/) > [We are watching very closely to see how the disease associated with bird flu, when it hits humans, is evolving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nabarro/we-are-watching-very-closely-to-see-how-the-disease-associated-with/) [David Nabarro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nabarro/) > [Are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/are-we-sure-this-is-a-good-time-to-take-god-out-of-the-pledge-of/) [David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/) > [“Shreave flicked away the dead mosquito. "Don't these things carry the bird flu too?" "No Boyd, that would be a bird.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-hiaasen/shreave-flicked-away-the-dead-mosquito-don-t-these-things-carry-the/) [Carl Hiaasen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-hiaasen/) > [I'm really an alarmist when it comes to epidemics. Swine flu now; when SARS was big, I was all freaked out about that, bird…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/i-m-really-an-alarmist-when-it-comes-to-epidemics-swine-flu-now-when/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) ## More by Michael Greger > [As you age, your blood pressure tends to get higher.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-greger/as-you-age-your-blood-pressure-tends-to-get-higher/) [Michael Greger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-greger/) > [While consumers may be more shocked by pink slime or the feeding of Prozac to poultry, the routine feeding of millions of pounds of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-greger/while-consumers-may-be-more-shocked-by-pink-slime-or-the-feeding-of/) [Michael Greger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-greger/) > [Studies of immigration show that this resistance to heart disease is not just something in African or Chinese genes. When people move from low-risk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-greger/studies-of-immigration-show-that-this-resistance-to-heart-disease-is/) [Michael Greger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-greger/) > [“In other words, we’re living longer, but we’re living sicker.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-greger/in-other-words-we-re-living-longer-but-we-re-living-sicker/) [Michael Greger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-greger/) > [When I was a child, doctors sent my grandmother home in a wheelchair to die. Diagnosed with end-stage heart disease, she already had so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-greger/when-i-was-a-child-doctors-sent-my-grandmother-home-in-a-wheelchair/) [Michael Greger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-greger/) > [The USDA is tasked with managing and promoting agriculture - including the well-funded animal agriculture industry - so it's pulled into a tug-of-war every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-greger/the-usda-is-tasked-with-managing-and-promoting-agriculture-including/) [Michael Greger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-greger/) > [“Most deaths in the United States are preventable, and they are related to what we eat. 4”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-greger/most-deaths-in-the-united-states-are-preventable-and-they-are-related/) [Michael Greger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-greger/) > [Without enough nitric oxide, your arteries can stiffen, raising blood pressure and your risk of heart attack.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-greger/without-enough-nitric-oxide-your-arteries-can-stiffen-raising-blood/) [Michael Greger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-greger/) > [We should all be eating fruits and vegetables as if our lives depend on it - because they do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-greger/we-should-all-be-eating-fruits-and-vegetables-as-if-our-lives-depend/) [Michael Greger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-greger/) > [Sometimes it feels like there aren't enough hours in a day to get everything done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-greger/sometimes-it-feels-like-there-aren-t-enough-hours-in-a-day-to-get/) [Michael Greger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-greger/) > [You have to build up to green smoothies. Everyone loves fruit smoothies: you can add a handful of baby spinach to a fruit smoothie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-greger/you-have-to-build-up-to-green-smoothies-everyone-loves-fruit/) [Michael Greger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-greger/) > [“minutes of vigorous activity (such as jogging or active sports) each day.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-greger/minutes-of-vigorous-activity-such-as-jogging-or-active-sports-each-day/) [Michael Greger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-greger/) > [Don't forget that fruit can be cooked - think of baked apples, poached pears and grilled pineapple. But if you like drinking fruit, blending…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-greger/don-t-forget-that-fruit-can-be-cooked-think-of-baked-apples-poached/) [Michael Greger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-greger/) > [After following more than 60,000 people for more than a dozen years, University of Oxford researchers found those who consume a plant-based diet were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-greger/after-following-more-than-60-000-people-for-more-than-a-dozen-years/) [Michael Greger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-greger/) > [A good way to adjust to a healthier diet is to think of three meals you enjoy that are largely plant-based. Pasta with tomato…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-greger/a-good-way-to-adjust-to-a-healthier-diet-is-to-think-of-three-meals/) [Michael Greger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-greger/) [Explore all 141 Michael Greger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-greger/) ## More American quotes > [I wasn't attracted to American cinema, but I fell in love with Los Angeles the minute I arrived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/i-wasn-t-attracted-to-american-cinema-but-i-fell-in-love-with-los/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) > [William Maxwell's my favorite North American writer, I think. 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The French…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/france-has-not-only-built-a-bureaucratic-barrier-against-american/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) > [New York and San Francisco are distinctly different. San Francisco is driving the American media, not New York. You have young, microwaved millionaires and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-whitlock/new-york-and-san-francisco-are-distinctly-different-san-francisco-is/) [Jason Whitlock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-whitlock/) > [Well look, CIA is an agency that has to collect intelligence, do operations. 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