NorCo Council Briefed on Bird Flu Outbreak That Has Killed 163 Million Poultry

Northampton County Council was briefed on the nationwide avian flu outbreak yesterday by Hope Kossube, an animal welfare expert from Penn State Extension. This is spread primarily by direct bird-to-bird contact, including wild birds, as well as through contaminated materials. The virus could be airborne as well. If a bird is infected with what is known as high path avian flu, no treatment is available.

The current outbreak started in February 2022, infecting 163 million birds in 754 commercial and 828 backyard flocks. In the past 30 days, the virus has infected 23.33 million birds in 102 commercial and 49 backyard flocks. 

In Pennsylvania, four counties - Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster and Lebanon - are under active control by the state Department of Agriculture. It has affected 2 million commercial poultry. (Lehigh County was in active control as well but has since been removed). A control zone is the infected farm and anything within a 6.2 mile radius. 

When bird flu is suspected, the farm is quarantined, and the birds are tested. If infected, they are "depopulated."

Is there a concern that this can be spread to humans?. According to Kossube, the risk of transmission is low. Nationwide, 69 people have been infected by avian flu. Most of them worked with poultry or dairy cows. One person did die but was suffering from autoimmune deficiency. There is no detected instance of one human infecting another. 

To avoid contagion, Kossube recommends that all eggs be cooked to at least 160 degrees and that we should only drink pasteurized milk. This would kill the virus. 

Kossube predicted that the outbreak should ease during the hotter months of the year.

Obviously, bird flu is the reason for soaring egg prices, not Trump or Biden.