Latest news with #H7N9
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Peregrine found dead amid new case of bird flu
A PEREGRINE falcon has been found dead in Christchurch amid an new outbreak of bird flu. The female bird of prey was found at the Priory having only laid eggs in the nest three weeks earlier. The Priory said: 'Sad news today - we're very sorry to have to let you know that our female peregrine has died. 'Members of the Priory staff team are in touch with the appropriate authorities. 'To anticipate the questions, nothing is known at present,' and added any information will be shared once known. Dorset Police said it is not investigating the death. It's not known whether bird flu is what caused the death of the peregrine. Meanwhile, it's understood two swans and a cygnet were also found dead in Mudeford last week. A BCP Council spokesman said: 'We are aware of a recent confirmed case of avian flu in a dead wild bird found in the BCP area. 'The risk of avian flu passing from infected dead birds to humans is low. 'Residents are advised not to touch dead wild birds and to report any dead wild birds to the DEFRA helpline on 03459 33 55 77 or by visiting .' Residents should let the Defra helpline know if they find a single bird of prey, including owls, or three or more dead wild waterfowl (swans, geese or ducks) or gulls. They should also contact Defra if five or more dead birds of any other species are spotted. Defra remains tight-lipped about whether bird flu has been noted in the area, saying it is unable to comment on any testing or reports of bird flu. The Animal and Plant Health Agency, part of Defra, carries out year-round surveillance of dead wild birds submitted via public reports and warden patrols as part of its wild bird surveillance programme. The RSPCA has not had any reports of dead swans or peregrines in Christchurch. The RSPB has been approached for a comment but did not respond. Last month, a confirmed case of bird flu was found at Longham Lakes. Bird flu, also known as avian flu is a virus that has been around for a number of years in the UK. It is an infectious type of influenza that spreads among birds and in rare cases, it can affect humans. There are many different types of bird flu viruses and many of them don't infect humans. However, there are four strains that have caused concern in recent years. The NHS says although H5N1, H7N9 and H5N6 don't easily infect people and aren't usually spread by human contact, there have been several people infected around the world, resulting in a number of deaths.
Sky News
10-04-2025
- Business
- Sky News
Egg prices reach record high in US - why are they so expensive?
Why you can trust Sky News Egg in the US have reached a record-high in the US. The average price for a dozen eggs reached $6.23 (£4.82) in March, despite a drop in wholesale prices and no egg farms having outbreaks of bird flu. The country has been experiencing record-high prices since the beginning of the year, hitting $5.90 in February, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than double the long-term average of $2 (£1.54). Although the wholesale price of eggs had started to decline towards the end of March, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) reported on 10 April that prices had, on average, increased once again. The CPI is a body that measures the monthly change in prices paid by US consumers. Jada Thompson, an agricultural economist at the University of Arkansas, said the reason why consumers are not seeing the price of eggs on shelves declining is because wholesale prices did not start dropping until mid-March, so there may not have been enough time for the average price for the month to decline. She added that shops also may not have immediately implemented the lower prices. It comes after President Donald Trump declared last month that egg prices were "down 35%", going on to praise agricultural secretary Brooke Rollins for doing a "good job" at getting the price down. The cost of eggs is still up 75% in the last 12 months compared to six other staple grocery items - chicken, orange juice, beef mince, bacon and bread - according to Sky News' US partner network, NBC News. Due to the fluctuating price of eggs, egg smuggling has increased, other countries have been asked to increase exports, and the US justice department has launched an investigation into the high prices. Here is everything you need to know about how America has been scrambling for eggs, and why. Avian flu One of the main reasons behind the price rise is the outbreak of avian flu, also known as bird flu, which the US has been grappling with since 2022. This year alone, one person has died and farmers have been forced to slaughter more than 30 million egg-laying birds - partly down to a federal government policy that requires farmers to kill their entire flocks any time a bird gets sick. More than 166 million birds have been killed since the outbreak began three years ago. Avian flu is an infectious influenza that spreads among birds. There are lots of different strains, with H5N1 being the main one that has impacted the US. The H7N9 strain was also detected on a chicken farm in Mississippi on 13 March, according to the Paris-based World Animal Health Organisation. The World Health Organisation said 616 people infected with H7N9 worldwide, more than a third of the total of 1,568, have died since it was first detected in 2013. The main symptoms of bird flu include a high temperature, aching muscles, headache and a cough. As of 7 March, there had been no major outbreak of bird flu in the US for two weeks, the department of agriculture said. Despite this, chickens must be about six months old before they start laying eggs, which could explain why some farms are yet to return to normal egg production levels, agricultural economist Ms Thompson said. Increased demand, increased price As the threat of bird flu rose, so did demand for eggs, which in turn caused the prices to rise. At the beginning of the year, eggs reached a then record $4.95 (£3.86) per dozen, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In some parts of the country, prices went even higher, with Sky News' US partner NBC reporting a peak of $8.64. Others had to pay $10 (£7.74), while the Associated Press said in California the price per dozen topped $12 (£9.29) in some shops. To deal with the rising costs, some restaurants, including the Denny's and Waffle House chains, added surcharges to eggs on their menus. The overall cost of a food shop accelerated, according to NBC, after a previous dramatic decrease in prices from levels seen in the aftermath of the COVID pandemic and post-lockdown period. After surging for much of the year, egg prices finally began to decline in the US towards the middle of March - NBC reported a drop to $4.90 (£3) on 13 March. The decrease was put down to consumers buying fewer eggs, but prices still remain significantly higher than the average and pre-COVID prices. Could Easter cause another rise? Emily Metz, president and chief executive of the American Egg Board, warned last month that an increased demand for eggs over Easter could drive a temporary increase in prices once again. If prices are high, it will be the third year in a row that US consumers have faced inflated prices ahead of Easter, which this year lands on 20 April, and Passover, which starts on the evening of 12 April. Ms Metz added that egg farmers will also watch the spring migration of wild birds closely, explaining that they are a leading cause of the spread of avian flu and "pose a great and ongoing threat to egg-laying flocks". During his 'Liberation Day' speech in the White House at the beginning of April, Mr Trump confirmed that the annual White House tradition of rolling around 30,000 Easter eggs across the South Lawn is expected to proceed, and will use real eggs, despite pleas for plastic ones to be used instead. "They were saying that for Easter 'Please don't use eggs. Could you use plastic eggs?' I say, we don't want to do that," Mr Trump said. He did not clarify who was telling him not to use real eggs. A plea for imports In a bid to help an increased demand, the US department of agriculture asked Denmark and other European nations if they could export eggs. In a letter to the Danish egg association in late February, officials asked: "Do you have an estimate of the number of eggs that could be supplied to the United States?" A spokesman for the association in Denmark said they had requested more details on the conditions of such an agreement, highlighting that egg exports to the US were challenging due to regulations over hygiene and other factors. 0:40 👉 Follow Trump 100 on your podcast app 👈 The plea to European countries came after Turkey said in February it had started exporting around 15,000 tonnes of eggs to the US. Exports from Brazil also increased 57.5% in February, the Brazilian Animal Protein Association said, with 2,527 tonnes of eggs shipped in February, compared with 1,604 in the same period last year. The move was mocked by Chinese state TV, who accused Americans of "begging" for eggs as Mr Trump implemented 104% tariffs on all imports entering the US from China. State broadcaster CCTV also started the hashtag #UShastradewarandaneggshortage on social media platform Weibo, which was later censored. Rise in egg smuggling As the price of eggs increased in the US, prices remained relatively low in neighbouring Mexico, leading to an increase in efforts to smuggle them across the border. So-called egg interceptions are up 36% nationwide, the Wall Street Journal cited US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) as saying. San Diego has had the largest spike, with an increase of 158% in comparison to last year. "It's the price difference. The price is like a third of what it is in the US," Roger Maier, a CBP spokesman, told the Journal, adding agents in El Paso have encountered 90 would-be egg importers since January. The CBP warned travellers to declare all agricultural products to officers when entering the country, with the failure to do so leading to fines of up to $10,000 (£7,700). Back in February, the theft of 100,000 eggs from a truck in Pennsylvania left police baffled. The eggs - worth around $40,000 (£30,000) - were snatched from the back of a Pete & Gerry's Organics LLC distribution truck in Antrim Township, according to Pennsylvania State Police. The force said at the time the theft could be connected to rising prices, describing the crime as "definitely unique". Biden to blame, says Trump In a speech to Congress at the beginning of March, Mr Trump blamed his predecessor Joe Biden for the surge in egg prices. "Joe Biden especially let the price of eggs get out of control - the egg prices out of control. We're working hard to get it back down," Mr Trump claimed. Elon Musk used his social media platform X to lay further blame on Mr Biden, writing: "There was an insane slaughter of 150 million egg-laying chickens ordered by the Biden administration." In actuality, millions of egg-laying chickens have already been killed since Mr Trump took office. Ms Rollins later unveiled a $1bn (£771m) plan to combat bird flu, which includes investment to help farmers bolster biosecurity measures and research into developing vaccines for affected birds. The department of justice is also reported to have launched an investigation into whether egg producers have conspired to raise prices. The nation's largest producer of eggs, Mississippi-based Cal-Maine, confirmed it is cooperating with the investigation. The department's probe is said to be in its early stages and is looking into whether producers have held back supply to increase costs, the Wall Street Journal first reported on 7 March - a claim producers have denied.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Bird flu could be heading north this spring with fewer federal health officials working to stop it
The outbreak of bird flu that has been ravaging farms nationwide had started to slow over the past few weeks — but as wild birds migrate north, scientists say the virus may follow. At the same time, the United States will have fewer people leading the national effort to stop avian influenza. The sweeping cuts this week to the federal Department of Health and Human Services include the Food and Drug Administration's chief medical officer, who was helping to lead the federal government's bird flu response, and senior staff from the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine, which linked bird flu cases to raw pet food, leading to several recalls. 'We no longer are going to have the same eyes on this virus,' said Dr. Meghan Davis, a former dairy veterinarian and associate professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She said active surveillance of and investigation into how the virus spreads are a necessity, but local health officials and veterinarians will no longer have the same support from the federal government. The ongoing outbreak of bird flu — the worst in U.S. history — picked up steam through the fall and winter, pushing egg prices to record highs. While outbreaks in both poultry and cattle have fallen, along with the average price of eggs, health experts say that cases could rise again amid the spring migration, which typically peaks in May and June in the continental U.S. Quantifying the scope of bird flu in the U.S. is complicated. The number of confirmed outbreaks in poultry fell to 53 flocks last month after reaching 133 flocks in January. Outbreaks in cattle fell to 21 herds last month, after peaking at 253 in November. Detections in other mammals, wild birds and humans are tracked separately. And the 168 million domestic birds affected so far include many slaughtered because any detection on a poultry farm requires culling all the birds on the premises. The current outbreak has also been notoriously difficult to predict and contain, jumping to cattle for the first time last year and spreading to other species. Limited data on cases and testing has made it even harder to track the virus's spread and evolution, experts said, which could mean the virus could surge and new variants could emerge with little warning. 'We cannot let our guard down — now is not the time to do that,' said Stacey Schultz-Cherry, an influenza researcher at St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. Wild birds are a major pathway for the virus when they land and mingle with domestic animals. Schultz-Cherry warned that the birds currently migrating northward might introduce new variants of the virus from South America to the U.S., giving the virus more opportunities to evolve in potentially dangerous ways. 'That's what we worry about — is this something new?' Variants of concern have already been emerging. In March, the U.S. confirmed the detection of a bird flu variant known as H7N9 on a Mississippi poultry farm. It was the first time since 2017 that the strain — which is especially deadly to humans — had been detected in a commercial U.S. poultry flock. In January, another variant linked to a handful of severe and fatal human infections was found in U.S. cattle for the first time. This week, more than 140 staff members from the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine, which oversees animal food and medicine, were among the roughly 10,000 staff terminated from the Department of Health and Human Services, according to Alex Saint, who was an FDA communications specialist until she, too, was terminated. The cuts are part of the Trump administration's broader effort to shrink the federal government. The FDA has become increasingly involved in the bird flu response as the virus has spread beyond birds. More than 120 domestic cats have been infected with bird flu since 2022, according to the U.S. Agriculture Department, and FDA staff helped link some of the cases to raw pet food. The agency also helped to develop better diagnostic tests for the virus and has conducted extensive bird flu studies showing that pasteurization effectively inactivated the virus, making milk products safe for consumption. Already, the staff cuts prompted the FDA to suspend an effort to improve testing of pet food and dairy products for bird flu, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to speak to the media and who spoke to NBC News on the condition of anonymity. 'It's nothing short of devastating to veterinary medicine,' said Dr. K. Fred Gingrich II, executive director of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners, which represents cow veterinarians. 'They were absolutely critical — not just for the bird flu response, but for developing protocols for research and drug development.' The Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement that the cuts were limited to administrative staff and intended 'to make the agency more efficient and responsive.' 'The FDA and HHS continue to prioritize public health and animal health, including ongoing efforts to monitor and respond" to bird flu, the agency added. In February, the USDA accidentally fired officials working on bird flu and then moved to rehire them. Later that month, the agency announced a $1 billion effort to combat the virus and lower egg prices. The risk remains low to the public, with 70 confirmed human cases in the U.S. and one death. But the unchecked spread of bird flu increases the chances that the virus could mutate into a strain that is far more deadly to humans and easily transmissible among them. Experts warn that the broader Department of Health and Human Services cuts also could hamper the country's ability to track and contain the virus among both humans and animals, particularly when outbreaks spread across state lines. Among the concerns are the ongoing spread of bird flu to different species of mammals, after jumping to cattle last year. Along with domestic cats, the Agriculture Department reported, bird flu infections were found in foxes, skunks, mice, bears, raccoons, seals, and dolphins in March. 'We should be doing a lot more in terms of aggressively seeking out this virus in animal and human populations, doing much more active surveillance, and much more aggressive testing,' said Dr. James Lawler, an infectious disease expert and professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. He stressed the need to monitor both farms and workers to detect the virus before large-scale outbreaks happen — and to ensure that the nation's health care system is prepared if the virus suddenly becomes a bigger threat to humans. 'I don't see us doing a whole lot of that — I see us dismantling the agencies in charge,' he added. This article was originally published on
NBC News
04-04-2025
- Health
- NBC News
Bird flu could be heading north this spring with fewer federal health officials working to stop it
The outbreak of bird flu that has been ravaging farms nationwide had started to slow over the past few weeks — but as wild birds migrate north, scientists say the virus may follow. At the same time, the United States will have fewer people leading the national effort to stop avian influenza. The sweeping cuts this week to the federal Department of Health and Human Services include the Food and Drug Administration's chief medical officer, who was helping to lead the federal government's bird flu response, and senior staff from the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine, which linked bird flu cases to raw pet food, leading to several recalls. 'We no longer are going to have the same eyes on this virus,' said Dr. Meghan Davis, a former dairy veterinarian and associate professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She said active surveillance of and investigation into how the virus spreads are a necessity, but local health officials and veterinarians will no longer have the same support from the federal government. The ongoing outbreak of bird flu — the worst in U.S. history — picked up steam through the fall and winter, pushing egg prices to record highs. While outbreaks in both poultry and cattle have fallen, along with the average price of eggs, health experts say that cases could rise again amid the spring migration, which typically peaks in May and June in the continental U.S. Quantifying the scope of bird flu in the U.S. is complicated. The number of confirmed outbreaks in poultry fell to 53 flocks last month after reaching 133 flocks in January. Outbreaks in cattle fell to 21 herds last month, after peaking at 253 in November. Detections in other mammals, wild birds and humans are tracked separately. And the 168 million domestic birds affected so far include many slaughtered because any detection on a poultry farm requires culling all the birds on the premises. The current outbreak has also been notoriously difficult to predict and contain, jumping to cattle for the first time last year and spreading to other species. Limited data on cases and testing has made it even harder to track the virus's spread and evolution, experts said, which could mean the virus could surge and new variants could emerge with little warning. 'We cannot let our guard down — now is not the time to do that,' said Stacey Schultz-Cherry, an influenza researcher at St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. Wild birds are a major pathway for the virus when they land and mingle with domestic animals. Schultz-Cherry warned that the birds currently migrating northward might introduce new variants of the virus from South America to the U.S., giving the virus more opportunities to evolve in potentially dangerous ways. 'That's what we worry about — is this something new?' Variants of concern have already been emerging. In March, the U.S. confirmed the detection of a bird flu variant known as H7N9 on a Mississippi poultry farm. It was the first time since 2017 that the strain — which is especially deadly to humans — had been detected in a commercial U.S. poultry flock. In January, another variant linked to a handful of severe and fatal human infections was found in U.S. cattle for the first time. This week, more than 140 staff members from the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine, which oversees animal food and medicine, were among the roughly 10,000 staff terminated from the Department of Health and Human Services, according to Alex Saint, who was an FDA communications specialist until she, too, was terminated. The cuts are part of the Trump administration's broader effort to shrink the federal government. The FDA has become increasingly involved in the bird flu response as the virus has spread beyond birds. More than 120 domestic cats have been infected with bird flu since 2022, according to the U.S. Agriculture Department, and FDA staff helped link some of the cases to raw pet food. The agency also helped to develop better diagnostic tests for the virus and has conducted extensive bird flu studies showing that pasteurization effectively inactivated the virus, making milk products safe for consumption. Already, the staff cuts prompted the FDA to suspend an effort to improve testing of pet food and dairy products for bird flu, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to speak to the media and who spoke to NBC News on the condition of anonymity. 'It's nothing short of devastating to veterinary medicine,' said Dr. K. Fred Gingrich II, executive director of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners, which represents cow veterinarians. 'They were absolutely critical — not just for the bird flu response, but for developing protocols for research and drug development.' The Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement that the cuts were limited to administrative staff and intended 'to make the agency more efficient and responsive.' 'The FDA and HHS continue to prioritize public health and animal health, including ongoing efforts to monitor and respond" to bird flu, the agency added. The risk remains low to the public, with 70 confirmed human cases in the U.S. and one death. But the unchecked spread of bird flu increases the chances that the virus could mutate into a strain that is far more deadly to humans and easily transmissible among them. Experts warn that the broader Department of Health and Human Services cuts also could hamper the country's ability to track and contain the virus among both humans and animals, particularly when outbreaks spread across state lines.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Trump team reportedly lays off some staff working on bird flu response even as disease spreads
As the pervasive H5N1 bird flu continues to spread and impact the nation's egg prices, the Trump administration has reportedly fired some staff who were working on the nation's response to the virus. Among those fired were leadership and administrative staff at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Center for Veterinary Medicine, a source told Reuters. It's unclear exactly how many working on the bird flu response have lost their jobs. "The food compliance officers and animal drug reviewers survived, but they have no one at the comms office to put out a safety alert, no admin staff to pay external labs to test products," one FDA official told CBS News. 'USDA continues to prioritize the response to highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). Several job categories, including veterinarians, animal health technicians, and other emergency response personnel in USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) have been exempted from the recent personnel actions to continue to support the HPAI response and other animal health priorities,' a Department of Agriculture spokesperson told The Independent in an email. 'Although several APHIS positions at USDA's National Animal Health Laboratory Network were recently notified of their terminations, those have since been rescinded.' The Trump administration had previously scrambled to reinstate workers who were let go in earlier prior cuts at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The American Veterinary Medical Association and The Department of Health and Human Services did not respond to The Independent's requests for comment. The reported firings come as questions swirl regarding the nation's response to bird flu and whether it can stop the spread from animals and to humans. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., has come under fire after suggesting that a strategy could be to let bird flu spread across farms. His remarks came shortly before H7N9 bird flu was detected for the first time in the U.S. since 2017. 'There are some farmers that are out there that are willing to really try this on a pilot as we build the safe perimeter around them to see if there is a way forward with immunity,' Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins told Fox News last month. In response to Kennedy's suggestion, physicians have denounced the idea. 'It's a recipe for disaster,' Dr. Gail Hansen told The New York Times. Now, Democrats have launched an investigation into Kennedy's handling of the outbreak, citing his comments pushing to create immunity for birds. Bird flu has sickened 70 people and killed one in Louisiana. In a letter to Kennedy, Democrats requested information about how the department will address the outbreak and associated costs, including coordination plans with other federal agencies. They requested related information be turned over by April 18. Signees include Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi. 'This is one of the dumbest things you could possibly do with your government, laying off the very people you need to combat one of the biggest problems affecting our food supply right now,' the Illinois Democrat told The Washington Post, reacting to news of the layoffs.
