Avian influenza viruses change slowly over time, but the right mutation could make them more transmissible in people and other species, says Ian Barr, deputy director of the World Health . The U.S. is enduring an unprecedented poultry health disaster, with a highly contagious bird flu virus triggering the deaths of some 52.7 million animals. 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. 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. Materials provided by University of Maryland. No, thats not necessary. In 2015, an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N8 in the U.S. led to the culling of 50 million poultry birds. It's very rare for a human to be infected with the avian virus. Experts found the H5N1 Eurasian strain, a highly pathogenic avian influenza virus type. Original written by Kimbra Cutlip. And if the outbreak lingers into spring, infections could become even more difficult to prevent as a new wave of bird migrations begin. Last week, the US government started testing four new bird-flu vaccines to try and protect the poultry from this mass outbreak, Reuters reported. Cookies used to enable you to share pages and content that you find interesting on CDC.gov through third party social networking and other websites. Thank you. The presence of the virus in the commercial food chain raises a number of possible trade headaches but so would using a vaccine to fight it. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cannot attest to the accuracy of a non-federal website. Linking to a non-federal website does not constitute an endorsement by CDC or any of its employees of the sponsors or the information and products presented on the website. It was H5N1, a highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza. This particular A (H7N9) virus had not previously been seen in either animals or people until it was found in March 2013 in China. This is because bird influenza viruses must mutate in several ways to infect mammals efficiently. Subscribe to Here's the Deal, our politics newsletter. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, drove the cost of turkey meat to record highs. Record avian flu outbreak is threatening North America's - Science HPAI is a transboundary disease, which means it is highly contagious and spreads rapidly across national borders. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Bird flu is transmitted mainly by wild birds, like these snow geese. ", A biosecurity sign is seen at the Powers Farm, which raises turkeys in Townsend, Del. April 24, 2023. The researchers collected samples from 1,079 wild birds and 132 gray seals and harbor seals stranded along the North Atlantic coast from Jan. 20 to July 31, 2022. Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images. A truck drives out the entrance of the Cold Springs Eggs Farm where the presence of avian influenza was reported to be discovered, forcing the commercial egg producer to destroy nearly 3 million chickens on March 24, 2022 near Palmyra, Wisconsin. Yuko Sato, The Conversation. A certain viral variant that arose in 2020, called H5N1 2.3.4.4b, is driving this outbreak. The paper was published April 19, 2023, in the journal Conservation Biology. But the calculations might change if the virus is determined to be endemic in wild birds or in a geographic area. Linking to a non-federal website does not constitute an endorsement by CDC or any of its employees of the sponsors or the information and products presented on the website. Learn more about the latest avian influenza situation in the United States and globally. Heres the key question: If H5N1 can achieve spread in minks and possibly sea lions, why not humans? Learn more about past human infections with bird flu viruses. A weekly update of the most important issues driving the global agenda. said Jennifer Mullinax, assistant professor in the UMD Department of Environmental Science & Technology and a co-author of the study. Financial support for ScienceDaily comes from advertisements and referral programs, where indicated. And we now have the highest amount of poultry loss to avian influenza, so this is a worst-case scenario.". What we know about the deadliest U.S. bird flu outbreak in history - NPR Poultry can become infected through direct exposure to wild birds but more likely from fecal matter that contaminates the ground around farms or yards. As a result of recurrent outbreaks, U.S. egg inventories were 29 percent lower in the final week of December 2022 than at the beginning of the year. To receive email updates about this page, enter your email address: We take your privacy seriously. The spread is much more complex than what we normally predict, Kuchipudi said. After several weeks without new virus detections, the area is required to test negative in order to be deemed free of infection. ", "These are actually discussions that are going on now," Webby says, describing ideas such as what kind of post-vaccination surveillance would be needed to "make sure your trading partners are happy that the virus is not circulating silently.". Avian flu outbreak in U.S. worst on record, over 50 million birds dead If you need to go back and make any changes, you can always do so by going to our Privacy Policy page. With avian influenza viruses, it is not possible to make effective human vaccines in advance, because we dont know exactly what the genetics of the virus will be if it starts to spread well in humans. 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. The U.S. outbreak, which began in February, infected flocks of poultry and non-poultry birds across 46 states, USDA data show. "Rarely, we see crossover from birds into humans, with the current circulating . With the recent detections of the Eurasian H5 strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in wild birds and domestic poultry in the United States, bird owners should review their biosecurity practices and stay vigilant to protect poultry and pet birds from this disease. Speaking about this death to AP, James Wood, the head of the department of veterinary medicine at Cambridge University, said there is no reason to be unduly concerned about human infection with bird flu. Avian influenza (AI) is a contagious virus that affects all birds. Avian influenza vaccines can reduce clinical signs, sickness and death rates in domestic poultry, but they would not prevent birds from becoming infected with the virus. The US is no stranger to the impact of the disease, with the H5N8 strain having led to the culling of 50 million birds in 2015. 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. Human infections with bird flu viruses have most often occurred after close or lengthy unprotected contact (i.e., not wearing gloves or respiratory protection or eye protection) with infected birds or places that sick birds or their saliva, mucous and feces have touched. The first U.S. case of a person infected with avian influenza A (H5N1) virus was reported in April in Colorado. In the U.S. the virus has led to the destruction of millions of commercially raised chickens, turkeys, ducks, and geese, and has killed thousands of wild birds.. Better known as the bird flu, avian influenza is a group of flu viruses that is well adapted to birds. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/04/230419125054.htm (accessed April 30, 2023). Virus can be fatal. Cookies used to track the effectiveness of CDC public health campaigns through clickthrough data. The virus has hit many turkey farms but because those operations tend to be smaller and the cases have been spread out over time and space, producers have mostly been able to absorb the losses, building up stocks of frozen turkey ahead of the end-of-year holidays. Note: Content may be edited for style and length. Cookies used to make website functionality more relevant to you. What are the triggers for different actions, and how do we measure if we're succeeding? He can be reached at Evan.Bush@nbcuni.com. The team found that the deadly impact on wild birds and a shift from seasonal to year-round infections signal dangerous changes in avian influenza in the U.S. Caused by the highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu, conservationists working in the area are now . Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Currently, the risk to humans remains low; however, sporadic human infections with bird flu viruses have occurred. The H5N1 strain is causing a variety of new problems and has killed more than 58 million birds. 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Some birds have died from the disease itself, but the vast majority are being culled through flock "depopulation," to try to stop the virus from spreading. Then the site is decontaminated. Thats when production of eggs is hammered.. The most important mutational changes affect the tissue tropism of the virus its ability to infect a specific part of the body. The CDC states that like any poultry or eggs, heating food to an internal temperature of 165F kills any bacteria and viruses present, including HPAI viruses. This is happening as we speak, and this is why Im afraid influenza is going to be with us for a long while.. "Generally you need two doses of a vaccine and then a length of time to achieve full effectiveness.". This webpage will be updated at 2 PM EST each Wednesday to reflect any new data posted in the previous week. The viruses are from clade 2.3.4.4b,** which is the most common H5N1 bird flu virus worldwide at this time. University of Maryland. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said the avian influenza A virus has been detected in mammals such as skunks, bears, a raccoon and a red fox. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/what-consumers-need-to-know-about-the-avian-flu-outbreak, As avian flu spreads, North American zoos take precautions to protect birds, Americans may soon pay more for milk, cheese as rising heat stresses livestock, For Midwest farmers, floodwaters threaten millions in crop and livestock losses, outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza, depression, coughing and sneezing and sudden death, the risk to public health from this outbreak is low, last H5N1 outbreak in the U.S. in 2014 and 2015, travel thousands of miles between continents, eradicate HPAI quickly after it is detected. An outbreak of avian influenza in seabirds in the Gambia could affect vast numbers of birds migrating along the East Atlantic Flyway, unless international funding is secured, warn conservationists.
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