“Breaking: Devastating Avian Flu Outbreaks Hit Millions of Birds!

The resurgence of highly pathogenic avian flu in early October continues to inflict significant damage on commercial poultry farms in the United States. The US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) reported outbreaks affecting a substantial layer farm in Ohio, housing over 1.3 million birds, as well as turkey producers in Minnesota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

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Avian Flu

Additionally, a broiler farm in Maryland and a duck-breeding facility in Georgia, marking the state’s first commercial farm outbreak, were also impacted. Backyard flocks in Florida and Texas reported detections.

Since the onset of the H5N1 outbreaks in February 2022, a staggering loss of nearly 66 million poultry across 47 states has been recorded.

Internationally, Finland reported five more H5N1 outbreaks on fur farms, bringing the total to 65, with ongoing testing across the country’s fur farms. Japan reported its first poultry farm outbreak of the season in Saga prefecture, affecting a farm with 40,000 chickens.

In the realm of seasonal influenza, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) noted an increase in cases across most parts of the United States. The latest FluView data for the week ending November 18 revealed a 4.9% overall rise in flu positivity, with notable spikes in the Mountain (11.2%), south central (7.6%), southeast (7.6%), and West Coast (7.2%) regions.

Respiratory viruses constituted 3.7% of outpatient healthcare visits, with elevated activity levels reported in nine jurisdictions. Weekly flu hospitalizations rose to 3,296, and 79.4% of the reported virus strains were influenza A, with H1N1 comprising 79.3% of the influenza A subtypes.

The cumulative hospitalization rate was 2.6 per 100,000, and influenza contributed to 0.07% of all deaths, including two children. The data highlighted an upward trend in respiratory illness visits, particularly in the 65-and-older age group, with varying activity levels across different regions in the United States.