Japan is grappling with a severe bird flu outbreak, leading to the culling of over 17 million birds and causing a significant shortage in poultry and egg supplies. The mass die-off has led to a lack of space for the burial of the dead chickens, raising concerns about the potential spread of the virus or water contamination. The situation is part of a larger global issue as record-setting bird flu deaths are being reported worldwide, impacting meat and egg supplies and triggering price hikes and product cancellations. The surge in bird flu cases, including the first in South America, is exacerbating concerns related to global meat and egg supplies and inflation due to the unexpected scale of bird deaths.