The author most likely includes this supporting text to <em><u>reinforce the case study's point that bird flu is dangerous</u></em>.
Explanation:
The book "When Birds Get Flu" by John DiConsiglio delves into real cases of how people contract the bird flu. The book discusses infection cases and how avian influenza or bird flu began in Washington.
In the statement from the book, the author remarks that <em>"one or two sick chickens could infect a whole town [which could in turn] infect the country—or even the world."</em> By emphasizing the seriousness and infection level of the flu, <u>John DiConsiglio seems to reinforce the dangerousness of the bird flu.</u>
Answer: It features a reference to a supernatural being.
In this excerpt, we encounter a myth from the Maasai. This myth states that there is a supernatural being called Enkai, who is a sky god. Enkai has no gender. It can act kindly by giving the people rain, or cruelly by making the earth dry up. The presence of a supernatural being who can control the destiny of humans makes this a good example of a myth.