human
I've recently heard about a new strain of bird flu that's been affecting birds in Europe. What is it and how does it spread?
assistant
The strain is called H5N8, or “bird flu” for short. It’s a type of influenza virus that affects birds, but not humans. It spreads from birds to other birds through direct contact, such as when an infected bird coughs on another bird. Birds can also catch the virus by eating food contaminated with the virus, or by drinking water containing the virus.