Greater than 64,000 turkeys at a Merced County poultry operation are being killed after agriculture officers lately found they had been contaminated with the extremely pathogenic avian influenza.
The extremely contagious and lethal virus has turn into the scourge of the poultry trade since an outbreak started in 2022. Greater than 92 million poultry and wild birds have been killed within the U.S. as a part of an eradication effort, in line with the U.S. Division of Agriculture.
In Merced County, federal officers confirmed the virus was positioned at a business poultry operation on Sept. 18. The title and placement of the ranch weren’t revealed by state or federal officers.
As soon as the virus was confirmed, officers launched a depopulation plan for the sick birds to include the virus and stop it from making different birds sick.
USDA officers mentioned 64,800 turkeys will likely be killed by one in every of a number of strategies, together with a water-based foam, or carbon dioxide.
This yr, the virus has additionally migrated to bigger mammals, together with the nation’s dairy cows and a small variety of dairy staff, whose signs have been delicate.
As of Monday, the USDA stories that 231 dairy herds have been affected in 14 states, together with the nation’s prime milk producer, California.
The variety of California dairy herds contaminated with the avian flu has jumped in three weeks from three herds to 34. The dairies with the contaminated cows have been positioned below quarantine to try to stop the virus from spreading.
Contaminated dairy cows will lose their appetites, produce much less milk and be torpid. However they’ll get better after a number of weeks.
