Nearly 7 million chickens and turkeys in 13 states have been killed this year due to avian influenza, prompting officials and farmers to acknowledge that, despite their best efforts, preventing infections is incredibly difficult
FILE - In this July 23, 2015 photo, Greg Langmo poses at one of his turkey farms near Litchfield, Minn. Nearly 7 million chickens and turkeys in 13 states have been killed this year after they contracted avian influenza, prompting officials and farmers to acknowledge that, despite their best efforts, stopping the disease from infecting poultry is proving to be incredibly difficult.
State and federal officials remain hopeful that the disease won't spread as extensively as during an outbreak in 2015 that resulted in the deaths of about, causing egg and meat prices to soar. Bird flu hit more than 200 farms in 15 states, costing the federal government about $1 billion and the poultry industry an estimated $3 billion.
The United States Department of Agriculture says the virus doesn’t present a food quality issue since birds on infected farms must be culled and do not enter the food processing system. Still, the proper handling and cooking of all poultry and eggs to an internal temperature of 165 F is recommended as a general food safety precaution.
It's an especially big question in Iowa, the leading egg-producing state with 49 million chickens. Last Friday, Iowa saw its first case this year in aOn Monday, the disease was confirmed at an egg-layer farm in Wisconsin with 3 million hens. “Even when you look at the final epidemiological analyses from 2015, there was no one source of introduction. They were unable to make a conclusion,” said Dr. Yuko Sato, a veterinarian and an associate professor at Iowa State University in veterinary diagnostic and production animal medicine."I would say each introduction is probably going to be independent. It’s not just one weak link.”
Studies in the U.S. and France since 2015 suggest the virus can be carried wind-borne dust particles. This has led to new protocols to mitigate airborne transmission during outbreaks, including killing infected birds within 24 hours, increased testing and extra precautions within a six-mile radius of infected facilities.
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