A devastating outbreak of avian influenza, known as H5N1, has wreaked havoc on U.S. chicken farms, resulting in the loss of over 20 million egg-laying chickens in the last quarter. This marks the most severe impact on America's egg supply since the outbreak began in 2022. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reports that this staggering toll includes chickens that were culled to prevent the virus from spreading.
Consequently, this has contributed to record-high egg prices across all production types, including conventional, cage-free, and certified organic systems, as indicated in a USDA report released on January 10th.To combat the outbreak, authorities have encouraged farmers to report infections in an effort to halt the virus's spread. This winter, the virus has transcended poultry and infiltrated dairy herds. Hundreds of infected herds have been linked to contaminated raw milk, which spreads through farmers' clothing, equipment, and shared animals between farms. While most human infections have been mild, occurring in farm workers with close contact to infected animals, a recent tragic fatality was reported in Louisiana. This case was attributed to the D1.1 strain of the virus, which has been circulating among wild birds. Despite this, researchers believe the strain responsible for the human infections has mutated to be less severe in humans compared to other avian influenza strains. Efforts are underway to develop vaccines targeting the D1.1 strain. However, widespread vaccination is unlikely due to concerns that it could mask symptoms, potentially disrupting international poultry exports. The virus has already spread to humans and pets through contaminated products. In two distinct incidents, raw pet food made from infected animals was linked to the deaths of cats in California and Oregon. 'All recent detections of H5N1 in cats had these things in common: the infected cats ate wild birds, unpasteurized milk, raw poultry, and/or raw poultry pet food,' a Food and Drug Administration spokesperson stated.