Chickens at Higher Risk of Bird Flu
Agricultural experts warn that chickens are at a higher risk of getting avian flu in the coming months due to the same strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) that has attacked birds in recent years.
Normally, bird flu dies off in the summer and doesn't reappear in the fall. However, this latest version of the virus, first detected in the U.S. in 2022, hasn't mutated or gone away.
"This is uncharted territory," said Mike Persia, professor at Virginia Tech. "As far as I'm aware, there's no other outbreaks that have been cyclic and returning like this."
Persia notes that with the onset of cooler temperatures and the fall migration of wild birds, domesticated poultry are at a higher risk.
"As we start to see more migratory birds on top of us, we're going to see more cases of avian influenza,"he said.
So far, there has been only one known report of bird flu on a poultry farm in Virginia, in Goochland County, in the past two weeks.
Author's summary: Experts warn of higher bird flu risk in chickens.