company news about Avian flu outbreak wipes out 50M US birds, a record

Avian flu outbreak wipes out 50M US birds 

CHICAGO - Avian flu has killed 50.54 million birds in the United States this year, the deadliest outbreak in U.S. history, according to data released Thursday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The deaths of chickens, turkeys and other birds are the worst animal health disaster in the United States to date, surpassing the record 50.5 million bird deaths in the 2015 bird flu outbreak.

Birds usually die after infection. After chickens tested positive, entire flocks were also culled to control the spread of the disease. On egg farms, the entire flock can exceed one million birds.

The loss of poultry pushed the price of eggs and turkey meat to record highs, exacerbating economic pain for consumers facing high inflation and making Thursday's Thanksgiving celebration in the United States more expensive. Europe and Britain also suffered their worst bird flu crisis, with some British supermarkets rationing eggs purchased by customers after the outbreak led to supply disruptions.

The outbreak of bird flu, which began in February, has infected flocks of poultry and non-poultry in 46 U.S. states, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Wild birds such as ducks spread the virus, known as highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), through feces, feathers or direct contact with poultry.

Rosemary Sifford, USDA chief veterinary officer, said, "Wild birds continue to spread HPAI across the country during migration, so preventing contact between poultry and wild birds is critical to protecting U.S. poultry."

Following the 2015 outbreak, farmers stepped up safety and cleanup measures in an effort to keep disease and wild birds out of their barns. In 2015, about 30 percent of cases were directly linked to wild birds, compared with 85 percent this year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture told Reuters.

Government officials are studying infections on turkey farms and specifically hope to develop new recommendations to prevent them. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says turkey farms account for more than 70 percent of the commercial poultry farms infected in the outbreak.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) said that although the risk to the public from the outbreak is low, people should avoid contact with unprotected birds that appear to be sick or have died.