PETA Statement re First Human Avian Flu Death From Recent Outbreak

Contact:
Nicole Perreira 202-483-7382

Below, please find a statement from PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman in response to reports of the first human death from avian flu: 

There’s rarely a silver bullet for a crisis, but in this case, there is—and that’s for humans to go vegan. Everyone still eating meat, eggs, or dairy is responsible for this person’s unnecessary death and looming pandemic threat, and PETA is screaming from the rooftops that slaughterhouses and factory farms are petri dishes of disease that must be shut down and replaced by safe, animal-free agriculture that can save all our lives, before it’s too late.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that three out of every four new or emerging infectious diseases in humans come from animals, and PETA points out that the majority of diseases that have caused epidemics or pandemics in recent years originated in animals before being transmitted to humans, including AIDS, swine flu, SARS, MERS, Ebola, Zika, and COVID-19. PETA offers free vegan starter kits to help everyone make the lifesaving switch.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. PETA offers a free vegan starter kit on its website for everyone ready to make the switch. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.