Bird flu has been detected in at least 20 states: this is what we know

(NEXSTAR) – According to the USDA, bird flu has been identified in at least 22 states since the beginning of 2022. Do you need to worry?

The first case of this year’s commercial herd is Indiana turkey..Since then, new cases have been reported almost daily. USDA..

The epidemic of the disease is mainly due to the droppings of wild birds, such as ducks and geese, which often show no signs of the disease. However, studies suggest that the virus can be traced to equipment, workers, mice, birds, and even safe chicken and turkey barns in dust particles.

Due to the outbreak in 2015, about 50 million chickens and turkeys, Causes soaring prices for eggs and meat. Bird flu has hit more than 200 farms in 15 states, costing the federal government about $ 1 billion and the poultry industry an estimated $ 3 billion.

The current outbreak of bird flu may have little effect on you, but here’s what you need to know.

Where was bird flu detected?

Some recent detections have included highly pathogenic avian influenza in both commercial turkey herds and backyard mixed-species herds. Minnesota.. On Wednesday, USDA reported two outbreaks among commercial turkeys – more than 55,000 herds in South Dakota and another 35,500 herds in Iowa.

All states that have confirmed reports of bird flu are: USDA:

• Connecticut
• Delaware
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Main
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Missouri
• Nebraska
• New Hampshire
• New York
• North Carolina
• Ohio
• South dakota
• Virginia
• Wisconsin
• Wyoming

This year, bird flu killed about 7 million chickens and turkeys across these states. On Tuesday, Iowa authorities will need to kill 1.5 million chickens for the flu on a spawning farm about 60 miles west of Des Moines. About 28,000 birds were also killed at a nearby turkey farm. Earlier this month, Iowa’s spawning farm was forced to kill more than 5 million chickens.

How does the outbreak affect me?

First, bird flu is not food poisoning. So, according to Tom Super, senior vice president of communications for the National Chicken Council, eating poultry will not cause infection after it has been properly cooked. The same is true for eggs, says Mark Dresdner, director of integrated communications for the American Egg Commission. In addition, birds that test positive for bird flu do not enter the food chain.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the risk of human infection is low. Officials point out that those who handle birds and those who are exposed to birds in the wild are at higher risk of infection than the general public.

According to the CDC report, one human infection has been reported. Individuals living in United Kingdon lived with a large number of domestically-reared birds that tested positive for bird flu.according to World Health OrganizationThe individual “remains clinically asymptomatic and is currently considered non-infectious.”

Super tells Nexstar that about 10-12% of the affected birds are broilers (chickens raised as meat). Due to the limited impact (about 9 billion broilers are bred each year), supermarkets say they do not expect bird flu to affect production or chicken prices.

Dresdner says that about 3% of the laying hen population has been affected so far. He has learned a lot from egg farmers since the last major bird flu outbreak in 2015, but “even the most stringent disease precautions have not always succeeded in preventing migratory birds from spreading the disease. That is not always the case. “

Egg prices may also be rising near you, but bird flu isn’t the only factor. According to one economist, pre-Easter demand, higher costs for feeding birds and shipping products can also affect the prices you see in stores. Nexstar’s KXAN..

The Associated Press contributed to this report.