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Poultry expert says bird flu outbreak is the worst in U.S. history

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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Started back in 2022, the avian flu outbreak that has been increasing egg prices and even killing non-bird animals isn't expected to slow down soon.

"It's the longest, largest outbreak of bird flu in the U.S. history," Lincoln University Poultry Extension Specialist Dr. Tatijana Fisher said.

According to Fisher, bird flu is spread by the bodily fluids of migrating birds, specifically waterfowl. Contact with egg-laying hens can occur if wild birds share water or food with domestic birds or by defecating on or in an enclosure. This means both commercial and backyard farms are susceptible to the virus.

"Most people, when they hear about bird flu, they assume it's something in commercial flocks, that there's something about keeping large groups of birds together that's causing them to get sick but that's not the case with this," Fisher said.

Additionally, bird flu has been found in humans who frequently work with poultry, dairy cows and a pet who ingested raw, infected chicken.

"This outbreak is the first outbreak where we have seen bird flu affect species that were not poultry species, that were not some kind of a bird," Fisher said.

Fisher advises bird owners to keep from coming into contact with wild animals, cover enclosures and to avoid bringing birds to farm shows or swaps.

Fisher adds that most facilities, if bird flu is found, will stop the selling of any products. Additionally, bird flu is killed in high heat, so thoroughly cooking eggs or chicken will remove any possible viruses.

"When it comes to eggs and meat and those kinds of things, they're not leaving those facilities, so any facility where bird flu has been found, they are not going those animals are not entering the food chain," Fisher said.

Fisher's main concern is raw meat and raw milk, which should be avoided and not given to pets.

Article Topic Follows: Health

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Marie Moyer

Marie Moyer joined ABC 17 News in June 2024 as a multimedia journalist.

She graduated from Pennsylvania State University in May 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism and a minor in sociology.

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