Avian flu outbreak wipes out 50M US birds, a record - KSL.com

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Cage-free chickens are shown wrong a installation astatine Hilliker's Ranch Fresh Eggs successful Lakeside, California, April 19. Avian flu has wiped retired 50.54 cardinal birds successful the United States this year, making it the country's deadliest outbreak successful history. (Mike Blake, Reuters)

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CHICAGO — Avian flu has wiped retired 50.54 cardinal birds successful the United States this year, making it the country's deadliest outbreak successful history, U.S. Department of Agriculture information showed connected Thursday.

The deaths of chickens, turkeys and different birds correspond the worst U.S. animal-health catastrophe to date, topping the erstwhile grounds of 50.5 cardinal birds that died successful an avian-flu outbreak successful 2015.

Birds often dice aft becoming infected. Entire flocks, which tin apical a cardinal birds astatine egg-laying chickenhearted farms, are besides culled to power the dispersed of the illness aft a vertebrate tests positive.

Losses of poultry flocks sent prices for eggs and turkey nutrient to grounds highs, worsening economical symptom for consumers facing red-hot ostentation and making Thursday's Thanksgiving celebrations much costly successful the United States. Europe and Britain are besides suffering their worst avian-flu crises, and immoderate British supermarkets rationed customers' ovum purchases aft the outbreak disrupted supplies.

The U.S. outbreak, which began successful February, infected flocks of poultry and non-poultry birds crossed 46 states, USDA information show. Wild birds similar ducks transmit the virus, known arsenic highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), done their feces, feathers oregon nonstop interaction with poultry.

"Wild birds proceed to dispersed HPAI passim the state arsenic they migrate, truthful preventing interaction betwixt home flocks and chaotic birds is captious to protecting U.S. poultry," said Rosemary Sifford, the USDA's main veterinary officer.

Farmers struggled to support the illness and chaotic birds retired of their barns aft expanding information and cleaning measures pursuing the 2015 outbreak. In 2015, astir 30% of the cases were traced straight to chaotic vertebrate origins, compared to 85% this year, the USDA told Reuters.

Government officials are studying infections astatine turkey farms, successful particular, successful hopes of processing caller recommendations for preventing infections. Turkey farms relationship for much than 70% of the commercialized poultry farms infected successful the outbreak, the USDA said.

People should debar unprotected interaction birds that look sick oregon person died, though the outbreak poses a debased hazard to the wide public, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.