US(Washington Insider Magazine) -In a year with historic inflation and rising prices, a bird flu outbreak is the last thing that any farmer or food producer was hoping for. Unfortunately, this time it’s spread at an unprecedented rate – causing over 52.7 million animal deaths on poultry farms around the country.
Here’s what you need to know about the U.S. bird flu outbreak, and how you can keep your family safe.
What is a bird flu outbreak, and what does it mean for public safety?
Bird flu is a disease that’s most common on farms. It’s extremely volatile and easy to spread. It’s also known as HPAI, which stands for a highly pathogenic avian influenza. Small outbreaks occur nearly annually. However, this year has been a particularly bad year – with over 46 states reporting severe outbreaks since February of 2022.
While the term “bird flu outbreak” can be confusing, it’s not so common that the bird dies from being ill. Instead, the bird passes from intentional removal and execution in an attempt to isolate the pathogen from the rest of the flock. While this is effective, the size of most modern-day flocks make this particularly difficult to execute fast enough to make a difference.
Bird flu is not exclusive to chickens, either. It can range in its effects with turkeys, chickens, roosters, and any other form of poultry found on U.S. farms.
What caused the bird flu outbreak 2022? What do we need to know for future?
This year’s volatility may be driven by other factors. Scientists have pinned down the “cause” of the virality to a different source than prior years’ outbreaks: wild birds. As these birds continue to travel around the country, the flock continues to grow – and so does the risk for diseases to be spread to our country’s farmed chickens.
While this can be devastating to poultry flocks, we do want to assure readers that there is an exceptionally low risk for zoonotic transference or transmission. There is no true risk designated at this time to the national food supply. However, prices may rise as scarcity becomes more apparent.
The best way to keep safe is to cook your foods properly and thoroughly. The CDC recommends cooking all eggs or poultry-related foods until they are well done, and temp to a temperature of 165º Fahrenheit. This eliminates the viability of HPAI and other viruses or pathogens in your food.
