The spread of the bird flu to other countries could result in an endless “war” on poultry

The bird flu virus has reached further locations in Europe, Asia, Africa, South, and North America. According to veterinarians and disease specialists, avian flu has expanded to new regions of the globe and has become endemic for the first time in certain wild birds that transmit the bird flu virus to domestic fowl. They warn that the issue is now year-round.

Reuters took interviews from more than twenty experts and farmers from four continents. They all agreed that the prevalence of the virus in the wild is an indication. It records outbreaks on chicken farms will continue. It put the world’s food supply at greater risk. They advised that farmers should consider the disease a major threat throughout the entire year, not only during spring migration.

Summer heat and winter cold have not impeded its progress:

The virus has expanded to more locations in North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa since early 2022. It was when a virus strain genetically identical to instances in Europe and Asia arrived in the United States. 

Wednesday, both Argentina and Uruguay declared public health emergencies following the discovery of the first illness cases. In Argentina, the bird flu virus was discovered in wild birds, and in Uruguay, it was discovered in dead swans.

As a result of a disease that killed tens of millions of laying hens last year, egg costs reached an all-time high. This deprived some of the world’s poorest of a cheap supply of protein at a time when soaring inflation is harming the global economy.

According to experts, virus spreads through wild birds are mostly responsible for the virus’s spread. Ducks and other waterfowl can carry the disease without becoming ill. They can transmit it to chickens via their feces, saliva, and other bodily fluids.

Farmers are unable to secure their flocks despite their best efforts

Rose Acre Farms, which is the second-largest egg producer in the United States, lost over 1.5 million chickens at a production location in Guthrie County, Iowa. However, the fact is that anybody who entered the barns was required to take a shower to eliminate any bird flu virus. It was according to CEO Marcus Rust.

In approximately six months, a business farm in Weld County, Colorado was infected twice. It resulted in the death of almost three million hens, according to Rust. He believes the infection originated in surrounding areas where geese defecated.

Rust stated, “We were struck.” “You just take your hair out.”

In certain nations, including the US, the UK, France, and Japan, there have been recording losses in poultry in the past year. Consequently, several farmers now feel helpless.

Shigeo Inaba, who produces meat chickens in the Ibaraki prefecture close to Tokyo, stated, “Even at a new poultry farm with advanced technology and no windows, we see avian influenza there. Now, we can only pray to God to stop a disease breakout.”

Poultry is now at risk during the entire year:

Previously, people in the Northern Hemisphere believed that the spring migration of wild birds presented the greatest threat to poultry. According to experts, because the virus is worsening in a variety of waterfowl and other wild birds, poultry are now at risk during the entire year.

The state veterinarian of Indiana, Bret Marsh, declared, “It’s a new fight.” “This is essentially a 12-month watch.”

Marsh desires funding from Indiana’s legislators in order to hire an additional poultry veterinarian and a poultry health specialist. This indicates that he believes the threat will persist. In Indiana, over two hundred thousand turkeys and other birds perished a year ago. More than 58 million birds died in the United States, breaking the record established in 2015.

Vaccinations are not a straightforward answer. They may mitigate the threat posed by the virus, but they cannot eradicate it. Instead, they make it more difficult to detect the bird flu virus inside a flock. People in Mexico and the European Union are still receiving or considering vaccinations.

Global problem:

Wild birds have transmitted the disease farther and more widely than ever before across the globe. According to Gregorio Torres, head of the science department at the Paris-based International Organization for Animal Health, a global expert on animal diseases, they are possibly carrying record volumes of the virus. He told Reuters that the virus has assumed a strange form. It makes it more likely to spread since its last outbreak.

Torres stated, “At least in the medium term, the sickness is here to stay.”

Torres could not definitively state that the bird flu virus is widespread among all wild birds in the world. However, other specialists have stated that it is widespread among some wild birds in locations such as the United States.

Persons can contract the virus, mostly through contact with infected birds. Although according to the World Health Organization, the risk to people is low.

Black vultures species that are afflicted:

David Stallknecht, director of the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Project at the University of Georgia, stated that black vultures. They reside in the southern United States and were formerly immune to disease. However, they are now among the species that are afflicted.

The virus has also spread to the mammalian species of foxes, bears, and seals.

Stallknecht stated, “We must all believe in miracles, but I don’t see the solution of this issue.”

Crossing frontiers:

Stallknecht stated that the virus spread to other regions of South America through the bodies of long-distance-flying birds such as blue-winged teal.

Countries such as Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia have recently reported their first instances.

Two days after the discovery of the first case, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock of Ecuador announced a three-month animal health emergency on November 29. According to the ministry, about 1,1 million birds have died so far.

After the discovery of the disease in Uruguay and Bolivia, it is near Brazil, the largest chicken exporter in the world, which has never confirmed a case. The Brazilian agriculture minister, Carlos Favaro, stated on Wednesday that the government investigated three probable cases but found nothing.

“Everyone is trying to prevent the flu from entering our nation,” said Gian Carlos Zacchi. By altering the habitats and migration routes of wild birds, some experts believe climate change may be contributing to the global spread of illness.

Carol Cardona, an expert in avian influenza and a professor at the University of Minnesota, stated, “The dynamics of wild birds have shifted, allowing the viruses that inhabit them to adapt.”

According to experts, some farmers are utilizing equipment with loud noises to defend their hens from wild birds.

Rhode Island egg producer and Little Rhody Foods CEO Eli Berkowitz treated goose droppings on a walkway on his farm with Lysol in case they contained the bird flu virus. Also, he restricts who can visit the property, a more conventional safety measure.

Berkowitz stated that he is preparing for March and April when migratory birds will be at greater risk.

He advised her to fasten her seatbelt and hold on for dear life.

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