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Avian flu kills 50 million birds in record US outbreak - BBC

Avian flu kills 50 million birds in record US outbreak - BBC

Avian flu kills 50 million birds in record US outbreak - BBC
Nov 28, 2022 1 min, 15 secs

Over 50 million birds have died amid a record-breaking outbreak of avian flu in the United States, according to the Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The disease is spread by wild birds which transmit the virus through feathers, faeces and direct contact.

"Wild birds continue to spread HPAI [highly pathogenic avian influenza] throughout the country as they migrate, so preventing contact between domestic flocks and wild birds is critical to protecting US poultry," Rosemary Sifford, the USDA's chief veterinary officer, was quoted as saying by Reuters.

In a 3 November announcement about the ongoing outbreak, the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said that while the risk to the general public remains low, it is advising Americans to take "preventative measures" - such as avoiding direct contact with wild birds and avoiding unprotected contact with poultry - to prevent spreading the disease to humans, pets, birds and other animals.

"This applies not just to workplace or wildlife settings, but potentially to household settings where people have backyard flocks or pet birds with potential exposures to wild or domestic infected birds," the statement added.

The World Organisation for Animal Health believes the wave of outbreaks is the result of international trade, farming practices and migratory wild birds.

Over 4.6 million birds died or were culled between mid-October and mid-November alone, according to the organisation.

On 31 October, concerns over the outbreak prompted officials in England to order that all poultry and captive birds must be kept indoors from 7 November.

Summarized by 365NEWSX ROBOTS

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