But even after euthanizing hundreds of thousands of birds, farms are not yet in the clear. The surveillance will continue for at least 21 days after the last positive test for the avian flu virus is reported before this outbreak is declared over. Last year’s H5N2 outbreak cost the poultry industry .3 billion, Reuters reported.
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There is always uncertainty around any new strain of influenza because the virus acquires mutations passing from host to host.
In a related development, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned that, because H7 viruses have infected people before, so human infections from the new strain could occur, though the risk to the general public is low.
Limited genetic data from preliminary diagnostic tests last week showed this H7N8 virus originated from North America, while last year’s strains had roots in Europe and Asia, government officials said. “When infected flocks are identified, the birds are quarantined and any exposed birds are depopulated to prevent the spread of the disease”. It’s been so cold that foam used to kill the birds has frozen. The first of the 10 farms saw a highly pathogenic form, which means infected birds were dying, while most of the other farms saw a low-pathogenic form that only made the birds sick.
“We realize that if it’s indeed of wild bird origin, they know no boundaries so we want to make sure that everyone is properly informed”, Marsh told reporters. All affected barns will then undergo a thorough cleaning and disinfection before farmers can restock. Everyone hopes this outbreak doesn’t turn into what happened in 2015.
More than 250,000 turkeys have been infected.
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Stay on topic – This helps keep the thread focused on the discussion at hand. “Because flu viruses are constantly mutating, we want to catch any case as early as possible after infection”.
