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Bird flu outbreak drives Nebraska to cull 1.8 million more chickens

November 27, 2022 - from NPR:

"About 1.8 million more chickens must be killed in Nebraska to prevent the spread of a highly pathogenic bird flu virus, state officials said, as the U.S. sees its worst outbreak of the disease in seven years.

"The state's latest spate of bird flu was found on an egg-laying farm in northeast Nebraska's Dixon County.

"Nebraska, where 6.8 million birds have been affected by the outbreak, is the second worst-hit state behind Iowa, where 15.5 million birds have been culled.

"This year, more than 50 million birds in 46 states have already died — mostly from being slaughtered to control the spread, but some from the deadly virus itself. It's the largest outbreak since 2015, when 50 million birds died.

"The bird flu outbreak has also contributed to the rise in consumer prices for eggs and poultry meat, on top of hiked-up costs from inflation.

"Unlike the 2015 outbreak, this spread appears far more difficult to contain because it appears to easily spread among wild birds. Waterfowl — and the raptors that eat their carcasses — can carry the flu virus long distances and have the ability to pass the virus on to poultry."