MINNEAPOLIS — Highly pathogenic bird flu has made its first appearances in U.S. commercial poultry flocks this season, affecting one turkey farm in South Dakota and one in Utah and elevating issues that extra outbreaks may just observe.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that avian influenza, which is fatal to commercial poultry, used to be showed in a flock of 47,300 turkeys in Jerauld County, South Dakota, on Oct. 4 and at a farm with 141,800 birds in Utah’s Sanpete County remaining Friday.
The outbreaks are the primary reported amongst commercial flocks in the U.S. because the illness struck two turkey farms in the Dakotas in April. Infected flocks are in most cases destroyed to stop the flu’s unfold, after which the farms are decontaminated.
Before remaining week, the one stories of bird flu in contemporary months in the U.S. in contemporary months had been sporadic appearances in yard flocks or amongst wild birds equivalent to geese, ducks and eagles. While wild birds frequently display no signs of avian influenza, infections in them are a priority to the poultry trade as a result of migrating birds can unfold the illness to prone commercial flocks.
“I don’t doubt that we will have more cases,” South Dakota State Veterinarian Beth Thompson said in an interview Tuesday. “I would be very pleasantly surprised if we’re done because migration is just starting.”
Bird flu last year cost U.S. poultry producers nearly 59 million birds across 47 states, including egg-laying chickens and turkeys and chickens raised for meat, making it the country’s deadliest outbreak ever, according to USDA figures. The outbreak caused spikes in egg and turkey prices for consumers and cost the government over $660 million.
The toll from a 2015 outbreak, deemed the most expensive animal health disaster in U.S. history with over $1 billion in costs to the government, was nearly 51 million birds in 15 states.
Bird flu infections in humans are relatively rare and aren’t considered a food safety risk. But as it hits other species, including some mammals, scientists fear the virus could evolve to spread more easily among people. Cambodia this week reported its third human death from bird flu this year.
Agriculture officials consider this year’s cases to be part of last year’s outbreak, which reached the U.S. in February 2022 after spreading in Europe. The U.S. has imposed periodic restrictions on poultry imports from Europe to limit the potential for spread. Thompson said the virus never completely went away, unlike in 2015, and that the version now circulating is essentially the same that spread last year.
“Were just encouraging bird owners to make sure they’re increasing their biosecurity practices because avian flu is still out there and it’s easy to contract,” stated Bailee Woolstenhulme, spokesperson for the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food.
However, manufacturers have saved their biosecurity tight for a number of years, and there’s little extra that farmers can do past the stairs they have got already taken to take a look at to stay the virus out in their flocks. The primary technique is to stop droppings of untamed birds from being tracked into poultry barns on staff’ sneakers and clothes, or from hitchhiking on farm apparatus, mice, small birds or even mud debris.
This used to be Utah’s first case this yr, Woolstenhulme stated, however 16 turkey farms, one egg farm and several other yard flocks had been affected in the state remaining yr.
South Dakota manufacturers misplaced just about 4 million birds remaining yr. Iowa, the hardest-hit state, with just about 16 million birds misplaced, hasn’t recorded a case since March.
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