Bird flu: Chickens and hens must be kept indoors – but their meat and eggs may still be labelled ‘free-range’
4 years ago

Bird flu: Chickens and hens must be kept indoors – but their meat and eggs may still be labelled ‘free-range’

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Eggs and meat from millions of hens, chickens, turkeys and geese will be sold as free-range – even though the government has ordered the birds into lockdown indoors to prevent bird flu spreading. Recommended UK bird flu threat level raised after swans infected in Netherlands It follows outbreaks of the H5N8 strain of avian influenza, which led to captive birds and poultry flocks being culled in Cheshire, Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, Leicestershire and North Yorkshire, as well as cases in wild birds across the UK. “Stressed birds also have an increased risk of disease, therefore we are cautious that the severity of the disease outbreak should be considered and free-range birds brought indoors only if the action is proportionate to the risk and required only as a last resort.” Under EU law, free-range laying hens can be kept indoors for up to 16 weeks but their eggs still be labelled free-range. “There is also evidence to suggest that intensive systems come with a higher risk that lower path viruses will mutate and multiply due to less robust, fast-growing birds and the high level of crowding.” He said authorities should keep the indoor period as short as possible and farmers ensure the welfare of birds temporarily confined indoors.

Birds Risk Bird Bird Flu Flu Indoors  welfare  chickens  labelled  birds  wild  eggs  viruses  freerange  hens  risk  spread  indoors  bird  kept  meat  flu

History of this topic

New Zealand’s Bird Flu Outbreak Should End Soon, Officials Say
1 day, 7 hours ago

New Zealand’s Bird Flu Outbreak Should End Soon, Officials Say

Live Mint  

-- New Zealand officials say they have contained an outbreak of bird flu to a single site in the southern region of Otago. Exports of poultry products worth about NZ$190 million a year were halted after New Zealand confirmed its first case of bird flu on an egg farm operated by Mainland Poultry. Officials took about 4,300 samples from 36 …

Bird flu outbreak hits Britain's turkey farms as tens of thousands are culled and rest ordered to be kept indoors days before Christmas
3 days, 13 hours ago

Bird flu outbreak hits Britain's turkey farms as tens of thousands are culled and rest ordered to be kept indoors days before Christmas

Daily Mail  

Turkey farms have been hit by an outbreak of bird flu as tens of thousands of birds have been culled and ordered to be kept indoors just before Christmas. This is the first outbreak of bird flu in captive animals since February and no humans have yet been infected with the risk of spread to people remaining very low. Avian …

CDC Confirms First US Case of Severe Bird Flu
54 years, 11 months ago

CDC Confirms First US Case of Severe Bird Flu

Wired  

The United States has now seen dozens of human bird flu cases this year, all of them mild—until now. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed Wednesday that a patient in Louisiana has been hospitalized with a severe case of avian influenza caused by the H5N1 virus. An investigation by the Louisiana Department of Health and CDC has determined …

Bird flu hospitalizes person in Louisiana, the first severe infection in U.S.
1 week ago

Bird flu hospitalizes person in Louisiana, the first severe infection in U.S.

Salon  

A person has been hospitalized with bird flu in Louisiana, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, marking the first time since the outbreak began that an infection with the H5N1 virus reached such severity. Although another severe case hospitalized in a teenager in Canada last month, this is the first severe case reported in the U.S. Related …

Opinion: Bird flu is coming for humans. We can either get ready or court disaster
1 week, 1 day ago

Opinion: Bird flu is coming for humans. We can either get ready or court disaster

LA Times  

Bird flu has seen a resurgence in the U.S. this year, with California leading the pack. Since 2022, millions of egg-laying chickens have been exposed to, infected with and culled or killed by H5N1 in the U.S. What stands out this year is how widespread the infection has been among dairy cows, which are spreading it to farmworkers — the …

Mega-Farms Are Driving the Threat of Bird Flu
1 week, 3 days ago

Mega-Farms Are Driving the Threat of Bird Flu

Wired  

This story originally appeared on Inside Climate News and is part of the Climate Desk collaboration. “It’s a lot of trouble.” Further north and west, in the San Joaquin Valley—the heart of the state’s dairy industry—the H5N1 virus, commonly known as bird flu, has rippled through the massive herds that provide most of the country’s milk. The Centers for Disease …

Could bird flu trigger another pandemic?
1 week, 6 days ago

Could bird flu trigger another pandemic?

Firstpost  

The deadly bird flu variant H5N1 is spreading more widely than ever before. Reuters H5N1 bird flu, a type of avian influenza, is once again making headlines after dozens of people in the United States were infected with the virus. Late last month, the headline of an opinion piece in the New York Times stated, “A bird flu pandemic would …

We're Pandemic Experts. Here's What Worries Us Most About Bird Flu.
1 week, 6 days ago

We're Pandemic Experts. Here's What Worries Us Most About Bird Flu.

Huff Post  

Jonathan R. Beckerman via Getty Images Experts are concerned for farm workers who are most likely to get sick from bird flu. you might be able to give the H5N1 virus genes that make it more virulent in people or that make it possible to transmit more easily from person to person, and that’s definitely something we want to prevent.” …

Health Experts Warn of Bird Flu's Pandemic Threat
2 weeks ago

Health Experts Warn of Bird Flu's Pandemic Threat

Deccan Chronicle  

Paris: Health experts have been sounding the alarm about the potential pandemic threat posed by bird flu, which has been showing signs of mutating as it spreads among cows and infects people in the United States. The deadly bird flu variant H5N1 first emerged in China in 1996, but over the last four years it has sp More than 300 …

Bird flu detected in Friesland: 63,000 chickens culled
2 weeks, 3 days ago

Bird flu detected in Friesland: 63,000 chickens culled

NL Times  

Bird flu has been confirmed at a poultry farm in Blija, Friesland, leading to the culling of more than 63,000 broiler chickens, the Ministry of Agriculture announced Sunday. The outbreak marks the second confirmed case of bird flu at a poultry farm in the Netherlands this year. To prevent the spread of the virus, the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product …

Bird flu may need a single mutation to spread among humans, study finds
2 weeks, 4 days ago

Bird flu may need a single mutation to spread among humans, study finds

LA Times  

Cows are milked at a Fresno dairy farm. Here’s what you need to know to start your weekend: The H5N1 bird flu may be one mutation away from being a threat to humans. And here’s today’s e-newspaper The H5N1 bird flu virus may need just one mutation to be a threat to humans, a study found. “Yikes,” “Oh great” and …

A single mutation could make bird flu much worse, study finds
2 weeks, 5 days ago

A single mutation could make bird flu much worse, study finds

Salon  

As the number of human bird flu cases continues to rise and more dairy farms across the country report outbreaks, scientists are increasingly concerned that the H5N1 virus will mutate to better infect people. In the lab, the authors of the study found that a single mutation in the primary protein, hemagglutinin could give it the ability to cling onto …

Letters to the Editor: A doctor’s fear that we’re careening toward a bird flu disaster
2 weeks, 6 days ago

Letters to the Editor: A doctor’s fear that we’re careening toward a bird flu disaster

LA Times  

Bird flu outbreaks at dairy farms are sparking fears of a major threat to human health. To the editor: As a retired public health and emergency medicine physician, I want to thank you for your recent articles about the bird flu, most recently those articles by Times reporters Susanne Rust and Melissa Gomez. The combination of a mutating and potentially …

Five million doses of bird flu vaccine bought by UK to prepare for pandemic
3 weeks ago

Five million doses of bird flu vaccine bought by UK to prepare for pandemic

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The UK government has bought more than 5 million doses of …

Distribution of Raw Farm’s products suspended amid bird flu concerns
3 weeks, 5 days ago

Distribution of Raw Farm’s products suspended amid bird flu concerns

LA Times  

State agriculture officials on Thursday banned Fresno-based Raw Farm from distributing its raw dairy products to retailers amid ongoing concerns about possible bird flu infections among its cattle. After several days of contradictory test results, in which county public health departments found positive samples in bottled raw milk on store shelves and state agriculture officials did not detect the virus …

Scientists warn of the increased dangers of a new bird flu strain
4 weeks ago

Scientists warn of the increased dangers of a new bird flu strain

NPR  

Scientists warn of the increased dangers of a new bird flu strain The spread of bird flu continues to trouble scientists. His experiments with infected cattle indicated bird flu was primarily spreading through virus-laden milk, not as you'd expect from a typical respiratory virus. STONE: The intervening months have made it painfully clear bird flu has a strong foothold in …

Bird flu is getting worse. Disease experts worry Trump and RFK Jr. will mangle response like COVID
4 weeks ago

Bird flu is getting worse. Disease experts worry Trump and RFK Jr. will mangle response like COVID

Salon  

As America gears up for the year's end and a change in administration, the topic of public health has dominated many conversations throughout the election season, but one facet has been noticeably absent: bird flu. “It would be important for the Trump administration, as it's rolling out its team that's going to be heading CDC, HHS, USDA, that they talk …

Experts say bird flu is more widespread than we think: ‘We are in a soup of virus’
4 weeks ago

Experts say bird flu is more widespread than we think: ‘We are in a soup of virus’

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Scientists are warning about the continued transmission of dangerous H5N1 bird …

Egg prices tick up in US amid efforts to halt spread of bird flu
4 weeks, 1 day ago

Egg prices tick up in US amid efforts to halt spread of bird flu

Al Jazeera  

Price for a dozen eggs has increased by more than 60 percent over the last year as millions of birds killed. Egg prices are rising once more as a lingering outbreak of bird flu coincides with the high demand of the holiday baking season in the United States. “Those are being rapidly corrected, sometimes within a day,” said Emily Metz, …

Three mysterious bird flu cases worry experts that another pandemic is looming
4 weeks, 1 day ago

Three mysterious bird flu cases worry experts that another pandemic is looming

Salon  

This month, two independent cases of bird flu were detected in North American children without any known exposure to infected animals, raising concerns that the H5N1 virus that causes it is inching closer to evolving in a way that allows it to spread between humans. Again, if the H5N1 virus develops the ability to efficiently spread between humans, the world …

Bird flu worries European health agencies as they increase virus surveillance
1 month ago

Bird flu worries European health agencies as they increase virus surveillance

Salon  

As flu season nears, Europe is increasing surveillance for human cases of H5N1 influenza, also known as bird flu. “We’ve updated our guidance to include milder symptoms in individuals exposed to birds or other animals,” Angeliki Melidou, principal expert in respiratory viruses at the ECDC, told The Telegraph. “The priority is to strengthen surveillance and ensure we monitor and follow …

Poultry throughout Netherlands ordered caged after bird flu outbreak
1 month ago

Poultry throughout Netherlands ordered caged after bird flu outbreak

NL Times  

The Ministry of Agriculture is immediately imposing a nationwide obligation to keep poultry indoors and screened off from outside. “Based on these two infections and all available information about outbreaks in other member states of the European Union, the risk of infection of a poultry farm in the whole of the Netherlands has been estimated as moderate to high,” the …

The number of cases of H5N1 bird flu is growing - but can it be caught by eating chicken?
1 month ago

The number of cases of H5N1 bird flu is growing - but can it be caught by eating chicken?

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy As the number of human bird flu cases have continued to …

Possible bird flu infection reported in California child, health department reports
1 month ago

Possible bird flu infection reported in California child, health department reports

Salon  

The state of California has detected a possible bird flu infection in a child in the Bay Area. The bird flu crisis, driven by the H5N1 virus, began several years ago, but ramped up considerably in April when dairy cows started becoming infected. Related Emails reveal how health departments struggle to track human cases of bird flu Although there have …

First bird flu outbreak in nearly a year confirmed in Gelderland
1 month ago

First bird flu outbreak in nearly a year confirmed in Gelderland

Dutch News  

The first outbreak of bird flu in nearly a year has been confirmed at a biological poultry farm in Gelderland. “Unfortunately, after a long period we are having to deal with another business with a bird flu infection. “We are taking appropriate steps and keeping a close eye on the situation.” Farmers’ organisation LTO called on the government to impose …

Canadian teen in critical condition with what is believed to be human case of bird flu
1 month, 1 week ago

Canadian teen in critical condition with what is believed to be human case of bird flu

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A Canadian teen is hospitalized in critical condition with what is …

Canadian teenager infected with H5N1 bird flu in critical condition
1 month, 1 week ago

Canadian teenager infected with H5N1 bird flu in critical condition

LA Times  

Canadian health officials announced Tuesday that a teenager infected with H5N1 bird flu from an unknown source is in critical condition. However, Nuzzo said, while this virus could “be a lot less deadly than what we’ve seen to date,” it could also be far more deadly than any pandemic in a long time, including COVID-19. Her third concern is how …

Bird flu: Canada teen in critical condition with H5 virus
1 month, 1 week ago

Bird flu: Canada teen in critical condition with H5 virus

CNN  

CNN — A Canadian teenager is hospitalized in critical condition with bird flu, health officials reported Tuesday. People with ARDS typically need help breathing with machines such as a ventilator, but officials did not offer specifics on the teen’s treatment except to say they’re receiving antiviral medications. These cases have all been among adults, however, and Henry said it’s possible …

H5N1 bird flu might be more prevalent among humans than public health data shows
1 month, 1 week ago

H5N1 bird flu might be more prevalent among humans than public health data shows

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy As H5N1 bird flu …

Canada detects first presumptive human bird flu case, teen infected
1 month, 2 weeks ago

Canada detects first presumptive human bird flu case, teen infected

India Today  

Canada has detected its first presumptive case of H5 bird flu in a person, a teenager in the western province of British Columbia, health officials said on Saturday. H5 bird flu is widespread in wild birds worldwide and is causing outbreaks in poultry and US dairy cows, with several recent human cases in US dairy and poultry workers. Bird flu …

CDC calls for expanded testing for bird flu after blood tests reveal more farmworker infections
1 month, 2 weeks ago

CDC calls for expanded testing for bird flu after blood tests reveal more farmworker infections

Associated Press  

Federal health officials on Thursday called for more testing of employees on farms with bird flu after a new study showed that some dairy workers had signs of infection, even when they didn’t report feeling sick. Farmworkers in close contact with infected animals should be tested and offered treatment even if they show no symptoms, said Dr. Nirav Shah, principal …

Should We Be Worried About Bird Flu?
1 month, 2 weeks ago

Should We Be Worried About Bird Flu?

Huff Post  

ULISES RUIZ via Getty Images The H5N1 virus, aka the bird flu, spilled over to commercial poultry before sickening cattle earlier this year. The increase in avian influenza activity is due to a major outbreak occurring in wild birds that has been ongoing and has spilled into poultry farms and now dairy cattle,” Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease expert …

The first case of bird flu has been found in a pig at an Oregon farm
1 month, 3 weeks ago

The first case of bird flu has been found in a pig at an Oregon farm

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Federal officials …

1st US case of bird flu in a pig raises concerns over potential human threat
1 month, 3 weeks ago

1st US case of bird flu in a pig raises concerns over potential human threat

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. It's the first time the …

First US Case of Bird Flu in a Pig Raises Concerns Over Potential Human Threat
1 month, 3 weeks ago

First US Case of Bird Flu in a Pig Raises Concerns Over Potential Human Threat

Associated Press  

A pig at an Oregon farm has been found to have bird flu, marking the first instance of the virus in the United States. The infection poses a potential threat to human health due to its ability to spread to humans. Genetic tests have shown no mutations that suggest the virus is gaining an increased ability to spread to people. …

Bird flu has been found in a pig for the first time in the U.S.
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Bird flu has been found in a pig for the first time in the U.S.

NPR  

Bird flu has been found in a pig for the first time in the U.S. toggle caption Cynthia Goldsmith, Jackie Katz/CDC/AP NEW YORK — A pig at an Oregon farm was found to have bird flu, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday. It's the first time the virus has been detected in U.S. swine and raises concerns about bird …

Alarming development as mutated bird flu strain that is 30x deadlier leaves American infected
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Alarming development as mutated bird flu strain that is 30x deadlier leaves American infected

Daily Mail  

Doctors are expressing alarm about a mutated form of bird flu that infected a farm worker in Texas. Government-backed researchers took a sample of the virus, infected mice and ferrets with it and found it had evolved to become far deadlier than the wild strain currently spreading on US farms. Researchers have suggested that drinking unpasteurized milk from an infected …

No Evidence of Bird Flu Spreading Between People in Missouri
2 months ago

No Evidence of Bird Flu Spreading Between People in Missouri

Associated Press  

No evidence of bird flu spreading between people has been found in Missouri after an investigation into a mysterious infection. The illness was different from the 30 other bird flu infections in people in the U.S. so far this year, and there was no known contact with an infected animal. The patient had preexisting health problems and was hospitalized in …

Bird flu spreads across US with dozens of cases now found in 6 states
2 months ago

Bird flu spreads across US with dozens of cases now found in 6 states

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Michigan officials announced the state’s first outbreak since early …

California becomes epicenter of bird flu crisis as more human cases reported
2 months, 1 week ago

California becomes epicenter of bird flu crisis as more human cases reported

Salon  

Another five suspected cases of bird flu were reported today in California, where six cases have already been confirmed, according to the California Department of Public Health. The state, which is the country’s largest dairy supplier, has become the epicenter of bird flu in cows and has concerned public health experts since the beginning of the outbreak for this reason. …

Federal government announces $95m preparedness fund in case of deadly H5N1 bird flu arriving in Australia
2 months, 1 week ago

Federal government announces $95m preparedness fund in case of deadly H5N1 bird flu arriving in Australia

ABC  

The looming arrival of a deadly strain of bird flu in Australia has prompted the federal government to set up a $95 million preparation fund as part of a swathe of biosecurity and environmental measures. Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said the H5N1 strain of avian influenza "presents a real and significant threat to Australia's agriculture sector". Why scientists fear havoc …

As California bird flu outbreak worsens, a Missouri patient who caught it is alarming experts
2 months, 2 weeks ago

As California bird flu outbreak worsens, a Missouri patient who caught it is alarming experts

Salon  

The H5N1 virus, also known as bird flu, has created an enduring crisis this year, massacring millions of birds and other wild animals, while stirring outbreaks in dairy farms across the U.S. As the number of confirmed bird flu cases continues to climb in various states across the country, many public health experts are anxiously awaiting results from testing performed …

Australia and New Zealand Brace for Bird Flu Threat: A Global Threat
2 months, 2 weeks ago

Australia and New Zealand Brace for Bird Flu Threat: A Global Threat

The Hindu  

Australia and New Zealand brace for a looming bird flu threat. The region, currently free of the H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b avian influenza, is at risk of its arrival due to its geographic isolation and the migration patterns of birds. The virus has reached Indonesia and Antarctica in recent years, posing a potential threat to the region's ecosystems and agricultural industry. …

Australia's bird flu outbreak has claimed the lives of 2 million chickens, but experts fear the worst is yet to come
2 months, 3 weeks ago

Australia's bird flu outbreak has claimed the lives of 2 million chickens, but experts fear the worst is yet to come

ABC  

In the small country town of Meredith, about 70 kilometres west of Melbourne, a lone dead tree stands in the centre of a paddock, looming over two long red furrows clawed into the ground. He's just spent most of this year trying to lead Victoria's response to avian influenza outbreaks, and says the state is "finally on the home stretch". …

Missouri bird flu case is a ‘one-off’ and the public risk is still low, officials say
3 months, 1 week ago

Missouri bird flu case is a ‘one-off’ and the public risk is still low, officials say

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — Health officials on Thursday said they don’t know how a Missouri person caught bird flu but believe it may be a rare instance of a “one-off” standalone illness. The Missouri case raised questions about the possibility of human-to-human bird flu transmission, but officials said there is no evidence of other people being infected. The person later told …

Just How Deadly Is Bird Flu to Humans?
3 months, 1 week ago

Just How Deadly Is Bird Flu to Humans?

Slate  

This story was originally published by Undark and has been republished here with permission. Compared to the H1 and H3 proteins in the influenza A viruses responsible for seasonal flu, H5 proteins trigger a weaker response from the immune system, said Peiris: “People may be getting mildly infected, but it’s not enough to elicit an antibody response.” Peiris and other …

5 poultry farmers quarantined after H5N1 outbreak in Odisha
3 months, 2 weeks ago

5 poultry farmers quarantined after H5N1 outbreak in Odisha

New Indian Express  

KENDRAPARA: Health officials have quarantined five poultry farmers after H5N1-infected chickens were found at their farms on Tuesday. Chief district medical officer Dr Anita Patnaik confirmed that the swab samples from these farmers were collected and sent to the Regional Medical Research Centre in Bhubaneswar for testing. The bird flu outbreak was confirmed on Sunday, following tests by the High …

California becomes 14th state to detect bird flu in dairy cows
3 months, 3 weeks ago

California becomes 14th state to detect bird flu in dairy cows

Salon  

On Monday, California became the 14th state to report outbreaks of bird flu in dairy cows. Some have wondered how the Golden State avoided an outbreak thus far in the bird flu crisis, after nearly 200 outbreaks have been reported from Colorado to Texas to Michigan. In late August, cows at three dairy farms in the Central Valley displayed symptoms …

Victoria's bird flu outbreak engaged thousands of animal disease fighters after years of wargaming
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Victoria's bird flu outbreak engaged thousands of animal disease fighters after years of wargaming

ABC  

It has been over 100 days since Victoria's largest outbreak of bird flu began and there are positive signs for the industry as farms begin to recover from the fallout. "It's been interesting seeing the outbreak and trying to provide that quick turnaround time of diagnostics to support the response, and farmers, in understanding what's going on here," he said. …

Bird flu restrictions cause heartache for 4-H kids unable to show off livestock at fairs across US
4 months, 1 week ago

Bird flu restrictions cause heartache for 4-H kids unable to show off livestock at fairs across US

Associated Press  

EVART, Mich. — Alison Smith stared at the virtually empty dairy barn inside the Osceola County Fairgrounds, once bustling with teens and preteens preparing to show their prized animals but now eerily silent as an invisible virus once again interfered with a cherished summertime rite. “And just a lot of people talking and having fun catching up in the dairy …

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