India’s Bird Flu Epidemic

In addition to struggling against COVID-19, India is facing two different strains of bird flu (Deutsche Welle, January 14, 2021). The nation has culled thousands of birds and warned citizens that the flu can spread through human-to-human contact, though the highest risk comes from contact with poultry.

In reaction to these new virus strains, the prices of chicken, eggs, and other fowl plunged and many shops and stores that sell such foods were closed. Shop owners who defied the closure laws were threatened with having their licenses revoked (NDTV, January 13, 2021), and restaurants were forbidden to serve chicken or eggs. By the end of 2020, bird flu outbreaks had also spread to ten European nations, Japan, and Korea (PoultryWorld.net, December 29, 2020).

Avian flus are yet another plague afflicting nations around the globe, and at least one of these bird flu strains (H5N1) is deadly to humans. We appear to be entering a time where the risk of pandemics is increasing. Bible prophecy reveals that many devastating events will erupt in the world before Christ’s return, including disease epidemics (Matthew 24:7). Yet, Jesus Christ warned that these are just “the beginning of sorrows” (v. 8). It is sobering to see world events lining up with end-time prophecies, but these events also point to the imminent return of Jesus Christ to establish His everlasting, peace-filled Kingdom over the whole earth. For more details about what we will see in the days and years ahead, read Armageddon and Beyond.