Since the
tail end up Humans and Viruses II, bird flu has still been on the wing. 6.7 million chickens and turkeys have died
since March. 5.3 million more chickens are still scheduled to be culled in an
attempt to contain the virus. H5N2 tends to be a death sentence for turkeys,
which die almost 100% of the time, whereas the mortality rate is lower (about
60%) in chickens. Thankfully, the virus hasn’t been known to infect humans, but
the USDA is still being extra careful. Many of the deceased birds have been
part of government-sponsored culling. The virus hasn’t had a significant impact
in poultry prices yet. However, despite all of the biosecurity efforts, it
doesn’t show any signs of slowing down.
The virus
may be spreading by wind-carried droppings and feathers. If this is the case,
it poses a formidable risk to wild bird populations. The CDC suspects that at
temperatures of at least 70F, the virus may not spread as well. The USDA is
working on a vaccine for chickens and turkeys; it has passed some testing, but
isn’t ready for commercial use yet. The added cost from vaccinating birds is
probably smaller than having to kill an entire barn and starting over again. At
least birds can’t launch an anti-vaccine campaign… right?
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