Cattle are getting sick with H5N1, and one person got sick in Texas. How bad could this be for dairy farms? Could it spread among people? Here's what scientists are learning.
CDC director Dr. Mandy Cohen tells NPR that while the risk of bird flu spreading to humans is low, the U.S. government is taking precautions to avoid spread of the virus.
Cal-Maine Foods lost about 1.9 million chickens, or 3.6% of its flock, as a result of an outbreak at a Texas plant. The CDC says, however, that a person is unlikely to get bird flu from eggs.
The outbreaks hit an industry struggling from an electricity crisis. One expert said three recent bird flu outbreaks have caused losses of at least $25 million to South Africa's poultry industry.
Amid high egg prices, social media users are claiming that common chicken feed products are preventing their own hens from laying eggs. But experts say high egg prices are caused by bird flu and inflation. And while feed quality can affect egg production, there are more mundane explanations for backyard flock owners' reported low egg yields.
Taylor Blake's family farm in South Florida, Knuckle Bump Farms, has lost 99% of its birds to avian flu. Its most famous resident has suffered nerve damage in his right leg and foot.
Bird flu has killed hundreds of wild vultures at a Georgia sanctuary that houses more than 1,500 other animals. Noah's Ark officials tell news outlets that no other birds have tested positive or shown symptoms.
Scientists are tracking a deadly bird flu outbreak that has infected wild birds in more than 30 states. Purging the nation's poultry supply may not be enough to keep the virus from sticking around.
Nearly 23 million birds have died as a highly pathogenic bird flu virus tears its way through farms and chicken yards. It has spread to at least 24 states in less than two months.
Bird flu has been confirmed in poultry in 17 states since the start of the year. Whether the outbreak will affect the price of eggs and poultry depends on how widespread it becomes, an expert says.
