Avian flu outbreak in California leads to depopulation of 1.5 million chickens and turkeys
An outbreak of the avian flu on California's poultry ranches continues to climb with more than 1.5 million chickens and turkeys being depopulated as part of the state's eradication effort.
The latest county to get hit is Sacramento County, where 48,300 commercial turkeys were killed after the highly pathogenic avian influenza was confirmed by state and federal officials on Nov. 2.
Also losing thousands of poultry were ranches in Kings and Fresno counties, where 117,200 and 204, 600 chickens were killed, respectively. The outbreaks in Kings and Fresno were confirmed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Oct. 30.
Kings County has lost a total of 527,000 poultry this year due to the avian flu.
The worldwide virus is no stranger to scientists who have tracked its spread to nearly every region of the globe, except for Australia and the Pacific Islands. One of the primary ways the virus is spread is with contact with wild birds .
In poultry, the virus is highly infectious and almost always fatal. Once a flock is infected, it is nearly impossible to test all of the birds. A farmer must depopulate the entire herd by using carbon dioxide or foam.
Containing the virus has become especially critical in the San Joaquin Valley after scientists discovered the virus has made the jump to large mammals including dairy cows. The Valley, lead by Tulare County, is the nation's top milk producing region.
Since the avian flu was first detected in California in August, the virus has slowly taken a foothold in the multi-billion dollar dairy industry .
As of Monday, there were 233 dairies infected with the avian flu. Unlike poultry, the virus is not normally fatal to dairy cows. Most cows recover in about two weeks. A temperature spike, however, during July and August saw the number of cow fatalities rise from about 1% to 2% to 10% to 15% in California.
Dairy workers have also become another victim of the virus. The California Department of Public Health reports that 20 people in the state have become ill with the avian flu. Fortunately, the symptoms in humans are mild, including conjunctivitis, cough, sore throat and body aches.
