The case of bird flu seems to take over yet another farm in Nebraska, as there was a report from a farm in Dixon County about the flu. It is the 13th time that the flu has been reported in Nebraska this year. As the after-effects of the deadly flu, statistics say that around 1.8 million chickens will be sent to slaughter to minimize the risk of the illness.
Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) confirmed the case of bird flu and as per their reports, the latest case was reported at an egg-laying farm which is located in the northeast part of Nebraska. It is the second time that bird flu is being reported from Dixon county. In order to stop the spreading and further harmful effects of the flu, the NDA plans to set up a radius of 6.2 miles around the current site of infection.
Just like the previous cases, the newly reported case will be dealt with by killing all the birds from the farm with the aim to stop the spread of the disease. As per the statistics of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, more than 52.4 million farm birds – including chickens and turkeys – were killed by the department, in over 48 states owing to the deadly bird flu this year alone.
The state of Iowa is the state which is worst hit by the bird flu. As per the report, around 13 farms in the state have reported the flu. From these 13 farms, it is calculated that approximately 6.8 million birds have been affected by this deadly disease. Statistics also say that around 15.5 million birds from the state have been killed off as a result of the flu, making Nebraska second on the list.
Studies show that the deadly virus which is responsible for the flu is primarily spread by wild birds as they migrate across the country. There will be no visible symptoms in these wild birds even if the virus is present in them. These birds, who are the carriers of the disease, can easily spread it through their droppings and nasal discharge. They can also contaminate the soil and dust with their droppings and nasal discharge.
In the majority of the bird flu, outbreaks that were reported in the past, the virus died off during the summer. As opposed to the earlier cases, the virus found a better way to survive and they made their reappearance during the fall. There were about 6 million birds killed in the month of September alone.
With the disease getting out of control and threatening more farms, almost all local farms had started taking different steps to ensure safety as much as they can.
Different staples like making sure that the employees change their clothes before entering the farms to sanitizing trucks that come into the farms are being followed by the local farm owners.
But as the virus had already affected a majority of the farms, the effectiveness of these methods cannot be expected to be maximum. Along with the farms, local zoos also have started to take precautionary measures against the bird flu outbreak.
With the flu taking over farms in the state, questions regarding the effect of the virus on human beings are been shared by people all over. As a response to this doubt, it has been made clear that the case of humans being affected by the virus was extremely rare. The authorities have also assured that the birds infected with the disease will not be allowed to enter the food chain supply of the nation.
Strict measures are being implemented to make sure to keep the infected birds at bay and that people have absolutely healthy meat for their needs. It should also be kept in mind that any traces of the virus will be destroyed if the meat is cooked properly at a temperature of 156 degrees Fahrenheit.
As the availability of healthy poultry meat is facing a shortage, the price of chicken and turkey seems to rise. This has also contributed to the rise in the price of feed and fuel too.
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