Nov. 27 (UPI) — Nebraska reported its 13th case of bird flu this year at a farm in Dixon County, where about 1.8 million chickens will be sent to slaughter.
It is the second confirmed bird flu case in Dixon County this year. The Nebraska Department of Agriculture reported the latest case at an egg-laying farm in northeast Nebraska. The NDA will create a 6.2 mile radius around the site of the infection as a way to stop or limit any potential spread.
The control zone is still being established. After which, depopulation will commence followed by disposal. The method of disposal is not yet reported. Methods used previously this year include incineration, composting and burial.
Highly pathogenic avian influenza, commonly referred to as bird flu, has led to more than 50.54 million bird deaths this year. According to Bloomberg, this is the worst nationwide outbreak of the virus in history. The prior record was 50.5 million birds killed in 2015.
Bird flu and inflation are the key contributing factors to record high egg prices.
There have been 6.8 million birds ordered to be killed in Nebraska. That is the second-most by any state, behind only Iowa with 15.5 million killed.
The previous bird flu case in Dixon County was also at an egg-laying facility. Ten counties in Nebraska have reported bird flu cases, with three reporting more than one incident.
Turkey and chicken farms are not the only facilities affected by bird flu this year. Yahoo reports a petting zoo in Utah that had an outbreak in recent days. In all, 46 states have recorded cases.
Symptoms of bird flu include birds not taking in as much water as usual, lack of energy and appetite, soft-shelled or misshapen eggs and sudden death. Poultry producers are told to watch for these symptoms, limit access to their facilities, increase biosecurity efforts and report illnesses to the : NDA at 402-471-2351; the USDA at 866-536-7593 or a veterinarian.
