Bird Flu Hits US Hard

So far this season, tens of millions of birds have died of disease or been culled, driving up prices of eggs, chicken, and turkey meat.

Written byNatalia Mesa, PhD
| 3 min read
Chickens on a farm in front of brown mesh coops
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In the worst US outbreak of bird flu since 2015, more than 24 million domesticated birds have died of the disease or been killed as of yesterday (April 7) as a highly infectious strain has been making its way through poultry farms and yards, the Associated Press reports. The majority of that tally were culled to try and prevent the spread of the disease, driving up the cost of poultry meat and eggs across the US. NPR reports that so far, the deadly bird flu has spread to at least 24 US states less than two months after the first domestic outbreak was reported in a commercial turkey flock on February 9.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, bird flu poses little risk to the general public and poultry and eggs remain safe to eat.

When bird flu cases are found in poultry, officials order the ...

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    As she was completing her graduate thesis on the neuroscience of vision, Natalia found that she loved to talk to other people about how science impacts them. This passion led Natalia to take up writing and science communication, and she has contributed to outlets including Scientific American and the Broad Institute. Natalia completed her PhD in neuroscience at the University of Washington and graduated from Cornell University with a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences. She was previously an intern at The Scientist, and currently freelances from her home in Seattle. 

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