. The process is much like dealing with a human pandemic. April 24, 2023. That was also true of the last H5N1 outbreak in the U.S. in 2014 and 2015. "So, yes, we certainly saw an increase in turkey prices in this holiday season," Hagerman says, "but not as much as we might have anticipated given the extent of this outbreak.". The US is no stranger to the impact of the disease, with the H5N8 strain having led to the culling of 50 million birds in 2015. CDC is not responsible for Section 508 compliance (accessibility) on other federal or private website. More than 60% of U.S. broiler . The paper outlines examples of potential triggers for action, identifying the relevant decision-makers required to coordinate a response and some of the challenges that may come up. And right now, a specific version of the virus known as clade 2.3.4.4b is ruling the roost. Avian bird flu outbreak: What to know about H5N1 symptoms and vaccines At least 50.54 million birds have died this year from the Avian flu, according to new data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.. Why it matters: This represents the highest amount of deaths of chickens, turkeys and other birds since 50.5 million died from an outbreak in 2015, according to Reuters. Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, 3 things the world is doing to prepare for the next pandemic, The world needs a COP-like process for pandemic preparedness. All Rights Reserved. As H5N1 infects more species, it also increases its geographical range and produces more viral variants that could have new biological properties. "Tragic though this case in Cambodia is, we expect there to be some cases of clinical disease with such a widespread infection. And we now have the highest amount of poultry loss to avian influenza, so this is a worst-case scenario," she added. Currently, the risk to humans remains low; however, sporadic human infections with bird flu viruses have occurred. Bird flu is killing millions of birds in US, driving up egg prices The same strain had caused a wave of bird flu outbreaks across Europe and Asia. Bird flu US egg factory roasts alive 5.3m chickens in avian flu cull - then fires almost every worker Laborers worked for a month disposing of birds killed in a gruesomely inhumane manner.. The new H5N1 strain has already killed over 58 million chickens, turkeys, and other birds, Reuters reported. "That gave us a really powerful . University of Maryland. The unprecedented spread of disease and 2022's high inflation rates raising farmers' costs caused the jump and it doesn't look like it will change soon. Unlike the 2014-15 outbreak, this one is being driven by wild birds, not by farm-to-farm transmission. Will the Largest Bird Flu Outbreak in History Lead to a Human Pandemic?