A commercial turkey farm in North Carolina has suffered an Avian Flu (bird flu) outbreak, the state’s department of agriculture reported. The Sampson County farm is the the second North Carolina flock to experience an outbreak this year. Nationwide, at least 108 flocks – a total 17.8 million birds – have been hit by the virus in 2025 alone. The outbreaks have driven up egg prices to record highs, because bird flu can lead to lower egg production and deformed egg shells. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) projects that prices will increase an additional 20% in 2025. The price of turkey, chicken and milk have also risen as a result of the virus. The USDA has spent $1.14 billion compensating farmers for birds lost to the virus, with another $576 million spent on outbreak response efforts, according to WRAL.
“It’s been kind of alarming, the number of cases we’ve seen across the country,” said Dr. Michael Martin, a veterinarian at North Carolina State University. “We had 28 states across the country that were involved…which is really large for this time of year”.
Full Story: HealthDay
New Strain of Avian Flu Found at Duck Farm
A new Avian Flu strain known as H5N9 has been confirmed in the US for the first time. The strain was detected at a California duck farm. The new strain comes as the dominant strain (H5N1) continues to sweep through animal farms across the US. This new strain is more evidence of the ongoing mutations of this virus. The longer the virus is allowed to circulate, the more likely it will evolve to become more dangerous to humans.
Full Story: ScienceAlert, HealthDay
