4 new circumstances of hen flu at Iowa turkey farms previously few days will push the variety of birds slaughtered nationwide this month to restrict the unfold of the virus as much as practically 7,00,000.

The newest circumstances introduced by the Iowa Division of Agriculture solely add to the toll of this 12 months’s ongoing outbreak that has prompted officers to kill greater than 53 million birds in 47 states. Anytime the virus is discovered, the complete flock is killed to assist management the illness.

Iowa officers stated the most recent circumstances discovered since Friday concerned 2,40,000 birds on turkey farms in Sac, Buena Vista, Cherokee and Ida counties all within the northwest nook of the state. Iowa leads all states with practically 16 million chickens and turkeys slaughtered this 12 months — greater than double the following closest state of Nebraska — largely as a result of it’s the nation’s largest egg producer and egg farms can embrace thousands and thousands of chickens.

A number of different hen flu circumstances have been confirmed this month at different turkey farms in Iowa, South Dakota, Minnesota and Missouri. An upland gamebird producer in Colorado additionally needed to slaughter 18,000 birds to restrict the unfold of the virus.

Specialists imagine the virus that causes hen flu is unfold primarily by wild birds as they migrate throughout the nation. The virus spreads simply by way of droppings or the nasal discharge of an contaminated hen, which may contaminate mud and soil and be carried onto farms on boots and clothes or on truck tires. Despite the fact that wild birds can usually carry avian influenza with out creating signs, the virus has killed a lot of eagles, vultures, geese and different wild birds.

Farmers take measures like requiring employees to alter garments earlier than getting into barns and sanitizing vans as they enter the farm, however the illness is troublesome to manage.

This 12 months’s outbreak is totally different than most previous ones as a result of the virus discovered a method to linger all through the summer time when hotter temperatures often largely kill off the virus. The U.S. Division of Agriculture resumed reporting massive numbers of birds contaminated in September when greater than 6 million birds needed to be killed. That was adopted by one other 2 million in October and practically 4 million extra in November.

Hen flu doesn’t signify a big risk to human well being as a result of human circumstances are extraordinarily uncommon and not one of the contaminated birds are allowed into the nation’s meals provide. And correctly cooking poultry to 165 levels Fahrenheit will kill any viruses.

However the hen flu outbreak — mixed with the hovering value of gas and feed — has pushed up the costs of eggs, rooster and turkey.