The USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) reports that highly pathogenic avian influenza has returned in significant numbers after a summer hiatus.
Since September 1, another 3.88 million birds have died either due to the virus or as a result of culling to prevent its spread. The most recent outbreaks affected 66 herds, including 31 commercial herds and 35 backyard herds.
The post-summer outbreaks are part of a worldwide epidemic that first emerged in the United States on February 8, 2022, according to APHIS.
Since then, APHIS says it has “worked quickly to identify, respond to, and mitigate the impact of the virus on U.S. poultry production and trade.” However, there are no forecasts as to when the bird flu epidemic will end.
About 70 people have been infected in the United States, mostly poultry and dairy workers. At least one person died. This man had nothing to do with working with animals. More than 1,000 dairy herds have been infected, and numerous wild mammals have tested positive for the virus.
There are concerns that the virus is mutating and could pose a greater risk to people. CDC researchers, reviewing past studies this summer, said person-to-person transmission of the virus is likely to occur at some point “in some settings.”
According to the study, asymptomatic infection of avian influenza A(H5N1) and human-to-human transmission are possible in some regions. overview review by CDC researchers.
The study, published Oct. 29 in the journal The JAMA Network is openincluded a search for studies of confirmed highly pathogenic H5N1 infection published up to 25 August.
Revival among wild and domestic birds
This year follows a previous trend, with bird flu cases higher in the spring and fall, consistent with the migration patterns of wild birds migrating to their seasonal homes.
Outbreaks in the past week have spread from California to South Dakota and Montana and then to Georgia and Pennsylvania.
Flocks in these areas have added to losses that now total 182.60 million birds from 839 commercial and 964 backyard flocks in all 50 states and one U.S. territory.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers avian influenza to pose a low risk to humans. There is no known person-to-person transmission of the virus.
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