Despite a less severe spread of the disease compared to 2024💥💥

An outbreak of avian influenza has led to the decision to cull over 1.3 million chickens on an Ohio farm, according to The Associated Press. The US Department of Agriculture announced on Tuesday that the flock is being slaughtered following the detection of a case of bird flu at the Union County egg farm. Despite a less severe spread of the disease compared to 2022, 8.1 million birds have been culled on commercial poultry farms this year, with 5.8 million birds in Ohio being among those culled this month, as reported by the AP.

This marks the second instance this month of a farm culling over 1 million birds, with a Taylor County,

 Iowa egg farm culling 1.1 million birds and a Wright County, Minnesota farm culling 940,000 birds.

Human cases of the disease remain rare, with only one reported case of a person contracting the H5N1

 strain of the virus in the U.S. since 2022, according to the CDC.

In related news, scientists have demonstrated how CRISPR gene editing can be used to combat bird flu.

What is bird flu?

Bird flu is a disease caused by a family of flu viruses primarily transmitted between birds.

According to the CDC and USDA, avian influenza viruses are classified into two groups:

1. Low Pathogenic Avian Influenza (LPAI) - often seen in wild birds

2. Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) - found mostly in domestic poultry

The CDC states that LPAI viruses cause mild or no disease, while HPAI viruses cause severe disease and high mortality rates in infected birds.

The economic impact of bird flu has been significant, with the government spending roughly $660 million to manage the outbreak and poultry prices experiencing an increase.

At least 65 million birds have been culled since 2022 to limit the spread of the virus.

What are the signs of bird flu?

Signs that a bird may be infected with avian influenza include:

- Loss of appetite and lethargy

- Sudden death without prior symptoms

- Eyelid swelling

- Twisting of the head and neck

- Purple discoloration on body parts including the wattle and legs

- Stumbling and falling

- Diarrhea

- Difficulty breathing

- Nasal discharge

An Ohio farm is culling over 1.3 million chickens in response to an outbreak of avian influenza,

as initially reported by The Associated Press. The US Department of Agriculture announced on Tuesday

 that the flock is being euthanized following the detection of a case of bird flu on the Union County egg farm.Despite a milder impact compared to the previous year, the spread of the disease has resulted in the culling of 8.1 million birds on commercial poultry farms this year, with 5.8 million of them in Ohio alone,as reported by the AP. This marks the second instance this month of a farm culling over 1 million birds, with a Taylor County, Iowa egg farm and a Wright County, 

Minnesota farm also being affected.

Human cases of the disease remain infrequent, with only one reported case of a person contracting the H5N1 strain of the virus in the US since 2022, according to the CDC.

Additionally, scientists are exploring the use of CRISPR gene editing to combat bird flu, aiming to develop super-chickens resistant to the virus. Avian influenza, or bird flu, is caused by a family of flu viruses primarily transmitted among birds.

 According to the CDC and USDA, avian influenza viruses are categorized into Low Pathogenic Avian Influenza 

(LPAI) commonly found in wild birds, and Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) prevalent in domestic poultry.These viruses cause varying degrees of disease in birds, with LPAI resulting in mild or no symptoms and HPAI causing severe disease and high mortality rates. The economic impact of the bird flu has been substantial,costing the government approximately $660 million and leading to increased prices of eggs and poultry. To curb the virus's spread, at least 65 million birds have been culled since 2022.Signs of avian influenza in birds include loss of appetite, lethargy, sudden death without prior symptoms, eyelid swelling, twisting of the head and neck, purple discoloration of body parts, stumbling and falling, diarrhea, difficulty breathing, and nasal discharge.