‘NOT IF, BUT WHEN’

Virus from chicken farms could dwarf coronavirus and kill HALF world’s population, says scientist in extreme warning

AN apocalyptic virus from chicken farms could dwarf the coronavirus pandemic and kill half of the world's population, a scientist has said in an extreme warning.

Dr Michael Greger, a campaigning nutritionist, claims our close connection to animals could make us vulnerable to the worst kind of epidemic.

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Coronavirus spread around the world like wildfire and killed more than 364,000 people after it is believed to have jumped to humans from bats.

But the best-selling author of How Not To Die says the real plague that could wipe out HALF of us is yet to come.

Dr Greger, a vegan, writes that "with pandemics explosively spreading a virus from human to human, it’s never a matter of if, but when".

The doctor has written a new book called How To Survive A Pandemic where he details that as "long as there is poultry, there will be pandemics", adding: "In the end, it may be us or them".

The scientist is a strong advocate of of a plant-based diet, and has spent years campaigning against the use of animal-based products.

And he predicts that diseases harboured by chickens could nearly wipe us out.

BIRD FLU

During the H5NI bird flu in Hong Kong in 1997, the government sought to kill 1.3million chickens to eliminate the virus.

The virus has never been fully eliminated as outbreaks have happened again between 2003 and 2009 outside of China.

But Dr Greger advocates changing the way chickens are "farmed" to prevent another outbreak.

He says the mass farms where chickens live in such tight spaces they cannot flap their wings and the high ammonia level from their droppings are a recipe for disease.

The scientist claims we need to shift from the mass production of chickens to smaller flocks that are raised in less crowded spaces with outdoor access, better hygiene and without the use of human antivirals.

Dr Greger says unnatural egg production and the practice of breeding also needs to end.

However, Dr Greger cautiously warns that may not be enough as the viral link between chickens and humans ultimately needs to be broken.

Dr Greger said: "The more animals are jammed together, the more spins the virus may get at the roulette wheel while gambling for the pandemic jackpot that may be hidden in the lining of the chickens’ lungs."

It comes as the number of infections from the coronavirus have passed 6 million worldwide, with 366, 928 deaths.

In the UK, weeks of lockdown measures have seen a significant reduction in the 'R' rate - with new scientific papers estimating it to be between 0.5 and 0.9.

The virus has claimed over 38,000 lives in the UK, making it the second hardest-hit country in the world behind the US, which has now suffered over 104,000 deaths.

While restrictions across Europe have seen cases on the continent fall dramatically, the pandemic is hitting its peak in Brazil and Russia where the infection rate is spiralling.