Highly pathogenic avian flu outbreaks, which ramped up again in early October, continue to take a heavy toll on commercial poultry farms, with the virus hitting a massive layer farm in Ohio that houses more than 1.3 million birds and more turkey producers in Minnesota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) said in its latest updates.
Also, the virus struck a broiler farm in Maryland and a duck-breeding facility in Georgia, marking the state's first outbreak at a commercial farm. Also, Florida and Texas reported detections in backyard flocks.
The H5N1 outbreaks, which began in February 2022, have led to a record loss of nearly 66 million poultry across 47 states.
More H5N1 on Finnish fur farms, poultry in Japan
In developments abroad, the Finnish Food Agency reported 5 more H5N1 outbreaks on fur farms, raising the total to 65.
Source: umn.edu
Photo Credit: gettyimages-branex
Categories: Minnesota, Livestock, Poultry