The latest wave of avian flu has been confirmed in Iowa, Ohio, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Wyoming, and North Dakota.
As a result, farmers will likely kill about 22 million egg-laying chickens, 1.8 million broiler chickens, 1.9 million pullet and other commercial chickens, and 1.9 million turkeys.
This latest strain, H5N1, has proven to be highly transmittable, as fewer than 600,000 poultry caught it in Nebraska a little over a week ago. The first case of bird flu since 2020 was recorded in February. Since then, 23 states have seen cases.
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“As part of existing avian influenza response plans, Federal and State partners are working jointly on additional surveillance and testing in areas around the affected flocks,” a Wednesday press release from the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service read. “The United States has the strongest AI surveillance program in the world, and USDA is working with its partners to actively look for the disease in commercial poultry operations, live bird markets, and in migratory wild bird populations.”
“[US Department of Agriculture] will report these findings to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) as well as international trading partners,” the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed earlier this month that it primarily affected animals in a press release.
“CDC believes that the risk to the general public’s health from current H5N1 bird flu viruses is low, however some people may have job-related or recreational exposures to birds that put them at higher risk of infection,” its release read. At the time, on March 7, only 14 states had reported cases.
As Iowa, one of the affected states, is the leading egg producer for the U.S., the avian flu might affect prices. Already, the consumer price index for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs increased 1.2% in February and 13% over the last year.
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Bird flu outbreaks come from interactions between domestic birds and wild birds. APHIS recommends bringing birds inside if possible and reporting sick birds to its toll-free number at 1-866-536-7593.
