For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. A man weighs and checks his flock of white turkeys at his family's farm last year in Townsend, Del. With all those replications, it can accumulate a lot of different changes. The virus can take commercial poultry farms out of commission for extended periods. The process is much like dealing with a human pandemic. Over the centuries, some of these avian influenza viruses have been passed from birds to humans and other mammalian species, although this is a relatively rare event. The spread of bird flu viruses from one infected person to a close contact has occurred rarely in other countries in the past, and when it has happened, it has been limited and not sustained,and didnotspread beyond close contacts. More information about this case is, The detections of H5 viruses in wild birds, poultry, some mammals, and in one person in the United States do not change the risk to the general publics health, which CDC considers to be low. Bird flu infections in people are rare, but possible. The USDAs Defend the Flock Program includes, for instance, information on biosecurity measures and how to spot signs of illness. CDCand USDA have developed guidance for specific audiences, including the, A handout containing information and guidance for people exposed to birds with bird flu is available at, More information about how to protect yourself against bird flu is. Avian influenza (AI) is caused by an influenza type A virus which can infect poultry (such as chickens, turkeys, pheasants, quail, domestic ducks, geese, and guinea fowl) and wild birds (especially waterfowl). The dynamics of the spread of avian influenza viruses are very complex. "Wild birds are the perfect mechanism to spread a virus because they, of course, fly everywhere," he adds. Rescued chickens gather in an aviary at Farm Sanctuary's Southern California Sanctuary on Oct. 5 in Acton, Calif. A wave of the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian flu has entered Southern California, driven by wild bird migration. In 2015, about 30% of the cases were traced directly to wild bird origins, compared to 85% this year, the USDA told Reuters. Better known as bird flu, avian influenza is a family of highly contagious viruses that are not harmful to wild birds that transmit it, but are deadly to domesticated birds. But the disease was eradicated in North America that same year, largely because it did not seriously impact wild birds, which made containment through culling poultry relatively easy. There have been relatively few human infections detected fewer than 900 documented globally over several decades but about half of those infected individuals have died. CDC has been comparing the properties of current H5N1 bird flu viruses to past H5N1 bird flu viruses and has found that current H5N1 bird flu viruses detected in the U.S. during late 2021 and 2022 are different from earlier H5N1 bird flu viruses. People should avoid unprotected contact birds that look sick or have died, though the outbreak poses a low risk to the general public, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Most reported bird flu infections in people have happened after unprotected contact with infected birds or contaminated surfaces. "Just a lot . Suresh Kuchipudi, the interim director of the Animal Diagnostic Laboratory at Pennsylvania State University, said three animal testing laboratories in Pennsylvania are processing several thousand samples each week. Scientists are monitoring avian flu and other pathogens in animals more closely than. The poultry industry has been credited with surveillance and prevention of avian influenza but the virus remains a threat. In addition, we have better diagnostic tests for much more rapid and improved detection of avian influenza compared to 20 to 30 years ago, using molecular diagnostics such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests the same method labs use to detect COVID-19 infections. "It takes fewer egg-laying operations being affected by HPAI to drive up the price of eggs and egg products," she adds, especially since the majority of U.S. production goes to the domestic market. Ask the Expert: Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N1) Viruses. Experts are concerned that a new global disease outbreak, possibly worse than Covid-19, might begin any day. However, since then, infections in both humans and birds have been observed. Back when the avian flu outbreak had affected 24 states and some 24 million commercial birds, only eight cases had been confirmed in commercial broiler chickens. Influenza viruses are common among wild aquatic birds, which often show no symptoms despite being infected. H5N1 spread very efficiently between the minks and caused clinical signs of illness and death in the mink populations where it was detected. If you do not allow these cookies we will not know when you have visited our site, and will not be able to monitor its performance. But when domesticated poultry, such as chickens and turkeys, come in direct or indirect contact with feces of infected wild birds, they become infected and start to show symptoms, such as depression, coughing and sneezing and sudden death. as well as other partner offers and accept our. Cookies used to make website functionality more relevant to you. At least 50.54 million birds have died this year from the Avian flu, according to new data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.. Why it matters: This represents the highest amount of deaths of chickens, turkeys and other birds since 50.5 million died from an outbreak in 2015, according to Reuters. (2023, April 19). Avian influenza A (H7N9) is a subtype of influenza viruses that have been detected in birds in the past. Bird influenza viruses, such as H5N1, use a version called a2,3-linked sialic acid, while human flu viruses use a2,6-linked sialic acid the predominant variant in the human upper respiratory tract. This can happen when virus is in the air (in droplets or possibly dust) and a person breathes it in, or possibly when a person touches something that has virus on it and then touches their mouth, eyes or nose. And if infections go unnoticed, they could spread to other farms before farmers can put control measures in place. The researchers hope their work will bring key players to the table to consider the next steps. These cookies may also be used for advertising purposes by these third parties. The 2015 avian flu outbreak generally happened in the fall, when . The Biden administration is considering vaccinating farmed poultry flocks, but the logistics could be quite complicated. Though human infection is currently rare, efficient transmission between farmed minks in Spain raises concerns about potential human transmission. Heres the key question: If H5N1 can achieve spread in minks and possibly sea lions, why not humans? His lab is largely operating seven days a week. Deletions from the Genome, End for Indus Megacities: Prolonged Droughts. It has ravaged farm flocks and chicken yards in 46 states since February, when the first cases were reported in commercial flocks. An outbreak of H5N1 avian influenza that started in 2021 has become the largest bird flu outbreak in history, both in the U.S. and worldwide. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (H5N1) has led to over 23 million bird deaths in 24 states. More than 77 million poultry, most raised in crowded. Mario Tama/Getty Images "Good decision science is what you do when you don't know what is going to happen next," said Mullinax, who teaches decision-making science. Avian influenza, also known as avian flu, is a bird flu caused by the influenza A virus, which can infect people. The paper was published April 19, 2023, in the journal Conservation Biology. Learn what to do if you have contact with infected birds and become sick. A sample of avian influenza isolated from a Chilean man who fell ill last month contains two genetic mutations that are signs of adaptation to mammals, officials from the Centers . hide caption. Experts say poultry farms should be credited with limiting the virus as much as they have, hailing the success of surveillance and biosecurity programs. More than 40 million egg-laying hens have been culled in the U.S. alone, making it the worst outbreak on record. Higher prices for eggs and poultry meat in the U.S. are one result. The researchers believe that bird flu will probably become endemic a phenomenon where a disease is constantly present within an area or community in the US which could affect food security and the economy. The COVID con is over, monkeypox is a non-event, so lets resurrect bird flu as the new threat to mankind and a chance for Big Pharma to create a new raft of bloated billionaires.You must think Jo Public is even dumber than the brains behind these pathetic endless scare stories. Viruses are notoriously quick to mutate. It is true that the farmed minks were confined in close quarters, like chickens on a poultry farm, so that may have contributed. No known human-to-human spread has occurred with the A (H5N1) virus that is currently circulating in birds in the United States and globally. In addition, more than 58 million domestic poultry were infected or had to be culled to limit the spread of infection in the U.S. and 7 million in Canada. The virus has been detected in a broad array of wild birds and in diverse mammals, including badgers, black bears, bobcats, coyotes, ferrets, fisher cats, foxes, leopards, opossums, pigs, skunks and sea lions. An outbreak in Israel where 40,000 common cranes were gathered killed 8,000 of them in a matter of weeks. Once that happens, entire flocks typically need to be culled. Avian Influenza. But lab tests soon revealed something scarier: a deadly avian influenza virus named H5N1. The U.S. outbreak, which began in February, infected flocks of poultry and non-poultry birds across 46 states, USDA data show. Yuko Sato, The Conversation .chakra .wef-facbof{display:inline;}@media screen and (min-width:56.5rem){.chakra .wef-facbof{display:block;}}You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in our emails. In January, Insider's George Glover explained the egg crisis facing Americans as prices surged by almost 60% in 2022 due to the influenza outbreak. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. Bill Powers checks on his flock of white turkeys, which have been kept under shelter all year to prevent exposure to avian influenza. "Unlike H5N8, this disease is heavily impacting wild birds," said Johanna Harvey, a postdoctoral researcher at UMD and lead author of the study. Better known as the bird flu, avian influenza is a group of flu viruses that is well adapted to birds. This webpage summarizes the current avian influenza (bird flu) situation in humans in the United States. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/04/230419125054.htm (accessed April 30, 2023). But she notes that U.S. egg prices can be affected if just a few farms have to dispose of their flocks. After the migrating gull came ashore, the highly pathogenic avian influenza, also known as the H5N1 virus, exploded across North America. The first reason that so much attention is being paid to bird flu right now is that currently H5N1 is causing the largest bird pandemic ever recorded. Both human and bird influenza viruses use receptors called sialic acids that are common on the surfaces of cells. "We don't know exactly what it is about it, but it does seem just to be able to grow and transmit better in wild birds," Webby, who is also a member of the infectious diseases department at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, tells NPR.
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