bird flu

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Bird Flu Hits the Country's Largest Egg Producer

Cal-Maine Foods says bird flu found in chickens at Texas plant; almost 2M birds are destroyed

(Newser) - The largest producer of fresh eggs in the US said Tuesday it had temporarily halted production at a Texas plant after bird flu was found in chickens, and officials said the virus had also been detected at a poultry facility in Michigan, the AP reports. Cal-Maine Foods, based in Ridgeland,...

Texas Dairy Worker Contracts Bird Flu

It's the first human case this year as illness spreads through cattle

(Newser) - A dairy worker in Texas has contracted bird flu, and while the case appears to be a mild one, its rare nature has health officials taking notice.
  • The unidentified worker has eye inflammation as the only symptom and is being treated with the antiviral drug oseltamivir, reports CBS19 . The person
...

Price of Eggs Too High? Blame Bird Flu

Prices are near historic highs worldwide, though they're down from last year in the US

(Newser) - Egg prices are at near-historic highs in many parts of the world as the spring holidays approach, reflecting a market scrambled by disease, high demand, and growing costs for farmers. It's the second year in a row consumers have faced sticker shock ahead of Easter and Passover, both occasions...

Bird Flu Spreads to US Cattle, Goats
Bird Flu Spreads
to US Cattle, Goats
Mar 26, 2024 11:10 AM CDT

Bird Flu Spreads to US Cattle, Goats

Commercial milk supply is said to be safe, though, per officials

(Newser) - A week after officials in Minnesota said bird flu had been found for the first time in US livestock—specifically, goats living on a farm with infected poultry—the virus has been found to have spread to dairy cows in Texas and Kansas, per the AP . The highly pathogenic avian...

Chick-fil-A Dropping 'No Antibiotics Ever' Pledge

It will shift to 'No Antibiotics Important To Human Medicine'

(Newser) - Chick-fil-A will drop its decade-long commitment to serving antibiotic-free chicken, the fast food company announced Monday. Starting this spring, the chicken chain's "No Antibiotics Ever" pledge, launched in 2014, will shift to a "No Antibiotics Important To Human Medicine" (NAIHM) pledge, the firm said in its statement...

Bird Flu Continues to Wreak Havoc, Killing Seals Worldwide

Tens of thousands of seals, sea lions have died, and scientists aren't sure how to slow the spread

(Newser) - Avian influenza is killing tens of thousands of seals and sea lions in different corners of the world, disrupting ecosystems and flummoxing scientists who don't see a clear way to slow the devastating virus . The worldwide bird flu outbreak that began in 2020 has led to the deaths of...

'Hundreds' of Dead Seals Block Antarctic Explorer's Grave

Virus has taken a heavy toll on South Georgia's wildlife

(Newser) - Passengers who'd hoped to walk with penguins on a cruise around the Antarctic Peninsula and the island of South Georgia weren't allowed to go ashore, but they witnessed distressing scenes of animals that had been killed by a bird flu outbreak in the region. Passenger Astrid Saunders tells...

Nasty Bird Flu Hits Antarctic Mammals
An Unwanted First
in Nasty Bird Flu
Jan 30, 2024 1:19 PM CST

An Unwanted First in Nasty Bird Flu

It's been found in sub-Antarctic animals for the first time

(Newser) - An unfortunate milestone has been logged in the continuing spread of a lethal form of bird flu, which has wreaked havoc from continent to continent since it first appeared in 2020. For the first time, the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) strain of H5N1 has been confirmed in sub-Antarctic mammals,...

Hundreds of Animal Species Hit by 'Catastrophic' Flu Strain

Elephant seals, seabirds, and now a polar bear—could humans be hit hard next with H5N1?

(Newser) - "It is catastrophic ... the largest die-off for the species, period." That's how Martin Mendez, a marine biologist with the Wildlife Conservation Society, describes to the Washington Post the fate of hundreds of elephant seals last fall in Argentina, found dead along the shore of the Valdes Peninsula....

Bird Flu's Deadly Touch Has Now Reached Polar Bears

First death in the species is reported in Alaska

(Newser) - The "unprecedented" behavior of H5N1, the highly pathogenic avian influenza that has been causing a global outbreak since 2020 , has become even more so. The New York Times reports the strain has been found in a dead polar bear in far northern Alaska. It signifies the first known case...

Nearly 1M Chickens to Be Killed Due to Bird Flu

Though in general, 2023 has not been as bad as 2022

(Newser) - Nearly 1 million chickens on a Minnesota egg farm will be slaughtered to help limit the spread of the highly contagious bird flu after it was confirmed there, officials said Monday. The US Department of Agriculture announced that the virus was found at a farm in Wright County, Minnesota, as...

France Vaccinating 64M Ducks for Very French Reason

It's a $100M effort taken in part of safeguard the country's foie gras

(Newser) - How beloved is foie gras in France? Enough that the country is planning to vaccinate 64 million ducks to protect the delicacy. The New York Times reports the effort kicked off Monday in a bid to safeguard the birds from Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, or HPAI. Reuters reports ducks are...

Vaccine Approved as Bird Flu Kills Endangered Condors

California condors will be given vaccine after pilot safety study in vultures

(Newser) - As avian influenza continues to wreak havoc, a vaccine has been granted emergency approval for use on California condors. Authorities worry bird flu could wipe out the critically endangered species, having killed more than a dozen of them already, the AP reports. There are fewer than 350 in the wild,...

Woman Is First Known Human to Die From Bird Flu Strain

Chinese woman who died from H3N8 was exposed to live poultry at wet market

(Newser) - China has recorded the first known human death from a common strain of bird flu, though the World Health Organization says the risk of a wider outbreak appears to be low. The WHO says that according to information provided by Chinese authorities, the 56-year-old woman died from the H3N8 strain...

When It Comes to Bird Flu, 'It's a New War'

Virus emerges in record amounts, and in new places, meaning it may be here to stay

(Newser) - Will bird flu lead to the next pandemic? That's the question making the headline rounds of late, and the short answer is—it's possible, though the threat isn't currently high. What is the concern of the moment is that wild birds have spread avian influenza, which is...

Producers Seek to Use 'Cruelest' Method Amid Bird Flu Outbreak

Animal welfare advocates say ventilation shutdown is 'basically cooking animals alive'

(Newser) - Poultry producers fighting the ongoing bird flu outbreak want the government to make it easier to kill flocks using a method animal advocates have described as the cruelest one available. The US Department of Agriculture is being lobbied to make Ventilation Shutdown Plus—closing off barn vents so birds die...

Mystery of Seal Strandings May Be Solved

Tests confirm dead seals in Maine had avian flu

(Newser) - The avian flu epidemic appears to have claimed its first known marine mammal victims in North America. The US Department of Agriculture has confirmed four Maine seals who died or had to be euthanized tested positive for the virus, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Tuesday. Officials tested the...

On Top of Avian Flu, Farmers Deal With Conspiracy Theories

As with COVID-19, misinformation spreads online

(Newser) - Brad Moline, a fourth-generation Iowa turkey farmer, saw this happen before. In 2015, a virulent avian flu outbreak nearly wiped out his flock. Barns once filled with chattering birds were suddenly silent. Employees were anguished by having to kill sickened animals. The family business, started in 1924, was at serious...

Avian Flu Is Killing Bald Eagles, Too

Experts worry about the effects during nesting season

(Newser) - The toll is much higher among chickens and turkeys , but the avian flu outbreak is killing bald eagles, as well. Since February, 41 dead bald eagles were found to have been infected with the virus, per the USDA. That doesn't include two others infected in New York late last...

Why Zoos Are Moving All Their Birds Inside

Because of avian flu, penguins are the only birds many visitors can see

(Newser) - Zoos across North America are moving their birds indoors and away from people and wildlife as they try to protect them from the highly contagious and potentially deadly avian influenza. Penguins may be the only birds visitors to many zoos can see right now, because they already are kept inside...

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