US nears record bird flu deaths in poultry

An almost record number of chickens and turkeys died in the outbreak of bird flu this year in the United States, as a different form of the virus infected more wild birds that spread the disease, according to officials.

More than 47 million birds died due to infections and culling. This prompted an export ban, reduced production of eggs and turkeys, and helped push prices for these products to record highs ahead of the holiday season.

The outbreak aggravates the economic situation of consumers, who face rising inflation.

In 2015, 50.5 million birds died in America’s deadliest outbreakthe worst animal health event in the country to date.

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Farmers are struggling against a subtype of the H5N1 strain of the virus that survived during the summer, when rising temperatures typically reduce bird flu, said Rosemary Sifford, chief veterinarian for the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The same subtype, known as the Goose/Guangdong lineage, is spreading in Europe, he said in an interview. Europe is already suffering its worst bird flu crisis, with nearly 50 million poultry culled.

Authorities are finding the subtype in a broader range of wild birds, such as ducks, Sifford said. The threat of infection may persist into the summer of 2023, as these birds migrate, she added.

The United States is monitoring wild birds for bird flu along four migratory routes known as flyways and plans to do the same next year.

This virus could be present in wild birds for the foreseeable future,” Sifford said. “This one is certainly different.”

The resistance of the virus surprised some growers, who have beefed up cleanliness and safety at their farms since the 2015 outbreak.

“Unfortunately, what we have done has probably not been enough to protect us from this high virus load in the wild bird population,” Sifford said.