More than 20 million laying hens died from bird flu in the United States last quarter, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the worst loss to the U.S. egg supply since the outbreak.
Data shows record number of chicken deaths, including chickens culled after infection found in flocks egg price The surge to its highest level in years was driven in large part by the virus.
“Unlike in past years, all major production systems will experience significant losses in 2024, including conventional caged, free-range, and certified organic types,” a USDA report this month said.
Taxpayers will foot the bill for lost birds. To incentivize farmers to quickly report and eradicate the virus, a USDA program pays producers for the eggs and poultry they cull.
Last year, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said it had spent $1.25 billion to pay farmers since the outbreak began in 2022.
Why are bird flu cases currently high among poultry?
U.S. officials prepare for an increase in bird flu each winter as migratory wild birds that spread the virus fly south during the colder months.
Viruses also spread more easily in winter. The USDA says heat and sunlight can degrade viruses on surfaces.
This winter is different as a strain of bird flu has also spread into dairy herds, infecting hundreds of herds.
Authorities suspect the virus was spread through droplets of contaminated raw milk. These items are transported between farms via worker clothing, equipment and animals shared between farms.
California has been particularly hard hit in recent months, forcing the state declare a State of emergency in response to the avian influenza epidemic.
The surge in bird flu this winter and the rise in bird flu are caused by different viruses. seasonal influenza infection It also prompts trips to the emergency room every winter.
Although bird flu has killed millions of poultry over the past year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention counts only 66 confirmed cases of human infection with the virus in the United States.
Most cases of bird flu in the United States are mild. Most of them were farm workers who became infected after close contact with animals infected with the avian flu virus, which spread to dairy cows in late 2023.
Researchers believe this variant of the bird flu virus is milder for humans than other variants circulating in the wild. These other strains often cause more severe disease when they infect humans.
Can animals be vaccinated against avian influenza?
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced this week that it is developing a new stockpile of poultry vaccines. The vaccine will target the D1.1 strain of the virus, which has been circulating among wild birds and recently caused a fatal human case in louisiana.
But officials said the vaccine was unlikely to be used. The Biden administration has been weighing the possibility of vaccinating poultry against bird flu over the years.
That differs from a possible program to vaccinate dairy cows against bird flu, which the USDA said is “more feasible and more likely to be successful” in fighting the virus. The department said it is currently conducting field safety trials on seven potential vaccines.
A major obstacle is the concern that the vaccine will simply mask the symptoms of this highly lethal disease in birds. This may lead some countries to impose export restrictions, fearing that the virus could be transmitted to them through poultry products.
In 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture banned the import of some products from Europe after authorities announced they would begin vaccinating some poultry against avian influenza.
The virus has spread through contaminated meat in the United States at least twice during outbreaks this year: Raw pet food made from sick animals was linked to an outbreak in the United States that killed cats. california and Oregon.
A spokesperson for the FDA told CBS News that the agency is now urging the animal food supply chain to take steps to curb the threat of virus transmission, including killing the virus through heat treatment and avoiding the use of infected animals.
“All H5N1 viruses recently detected in cats have these things in common: infected cats ate wild birds, unpasteurized milk, raw poultry and/or raw poultry pet food,” the spokesperson said.
