The United States is currently experiencing an unprecedented poultry health crisis, as a highly contagious virus known as bird flu has caused the deaths of 52.7 million birds.

Highly pathogenic avian flu, or HPAI, is the culprit. Since February, when the first cases of HPAI were reported in commercial flocks, it has devastated farm flocks in 46 states.

This is the worst outbreak to the poultry industry since 2014-15 when over 50 million birds perished. The previous outbreak started in winter, but that was over by June. However, this current outbreak has continued through summer and is causing more deaths.

“I hope that this isn’t the new normal for our country,” Dr. Richard Webby of the World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Studies on the Ecology of Influenza in Animals tells NPR.

While some birds have already died of the disease, the majority are being culled by flock “depopulation” to prevent the virus spreading. This includes millions of chickens, turkeys, and other birds that were raised for meat or eggs.

Here are the facts about the U.S. 2022 outbreak:

According to the U.S., more than 1,000,000 birds have been killed in 11 states, which include Utah, the Midwest, Delaware and the rest of the United States. Department of Agriculture.

Two large egg-laying facilities in Iowa had to kill more than 5,000,000 birds in a single incident earlier this year.

This outbreak is not being transmitted from farm to farm like the 2014-15 one. Many early infections were found in backyard and commercial flocks near the intersection of the Central flyways and Mississippi flyways. These are migratory wild bird migration routes. The virus spread as these birds moved.

Webby, who is also an infectious disease specialist at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, says that while we don’t know what it is, it seems to be able grow and transmit better in wild bird.” Webby tells NPR.

He adds that wild birds are the best way to spread a virus since they fly everywhere.

Wild aquatic birds are susceptible to influenza viruses. They often don’t show any symptoms even though they have the virus. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the H5N1 influenza virus was discovered in an American Wigeon Duck in South Carolina in January. This was the first case in the United States since 2016. Over the next weeks and months, more reports were received raising alarms about the spread of the virus to other states.

The CDC states that avian influenza can cause severe illness in poultry. It can also lead to death of up to 90% to 100% in some cases. This is often occurring within 48 hours. However, it is possible for ducks to be infected with avian influenza virus without showing any symptoms.

Humans are not at high risk from the Avian Flu.

The avian virus is very rare in humans. was the first American case of an infected person with avian influenza (H5N1) virus. It was reported in April, Colorado. After a few days of fatigue, the patient was able to recover.

Proper handling of the virus means that it does not pose any special threat to the nation’s food supply. The CDC states any bacteria or viruses present in food at 165@F (or higher) kills them.

The virus is like a child in a candy shop.

Webby states that “the bird populations haven’t seen viruses such as this before.” “So in terms of their immune reaction, they’re all immunologically deficient to this” flu virus.

He said, “Right now it’s almost like a child in a candy shop racing around,” which infects bird populations.

American experts were anticipating an outbreak after watching the successful H5N1 influenza viruses spread across Europe and other parts of the world. The virus has not stopped spreading and is now a real threat to public health.

Webby states that the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the avian influenza virus have created several strains of concern. Webby says that at the moment, clade is the dominant variant of the virus.

Webby says that you can consider it an “omicron variant” due to its widespread prevalence.

Viruses are notoriously fast to mutate. The avian influenza virus has changed significantly since its introduction to North America.

Webby states that the virus “interacted with other viruses when it came over to the Americas,” picking up different combinations and genes.

Webby said that the U.S. virus is very similar to the one in Europe. However, if you look inside, you will see that the viruses we have are very different from the ones in Europe.

Webby cautions that wild bird populations could develop an immunity to the virus, but it may take several months to determine if that is true.

However, the outbreak has not raised all poultry prices

You’re lucky if you love chicken. This influenza virus does not affect “broilers”, chickens that are raised for meat, as well as “layers,” table-egg-laying hens, and turkeys.

Amy Hagerman, an assistant professor at Oklahoma State University and specialist in agricultural economics, said that turkeys and layer birds are more vulnerable than others for whatever reason.

She adds that “the chicken most people think about, their chicken tenders or their chicken sandwiches, all haven’t had the same impact.”

Hagerman warns against the possibility of a price rise being linked to the virus in times of inflationary pressure or supply chain snags. She also points out that egg prices in the United States can be affected by the fact that only a few farms must dispose of their flocks.

Hagerman states that these complexes can house more than a million birds. She adds that it takes less egg-laying operations to be affected by HPAI to raise the cost of eggs and egg products, especially as most of U.S. production is sold to domestic markets.

Many turkey farms have been affected by the virus. However, these smaller operations have seen the cases spread over time and space. Producers have generally been able to absorb losses and build up stock of frozen turkey in preparation for the holidays.

Hagerman states that there was an increase in turkey prices in this holiday season, but not as much as one might have expected given the severity of the outbreak.

How about vaccines?

Although the virus is present in commercial food chains, it can cause trade headaches. However, it could also be prevented by using a vaccine.

Webby states that “a lot of countries don’t use vaccines against this virus in poultry.”

Hagerman states that timing is a major problem with vaccines. “Usually, you will need to take two doses of vaccine before the full effect can be achieved.

She adds that if a bird has a short feeding window, it can be more difficult because the bird must also be allowed to withdraw from the vaccine before being harvested.

Another issue is the difficulty in surveillance. Birds can’t be sure if they are infected by the deadly influenza virus, but haven’t shown symptoms since they’ve been vaccinated.

However, the calculations could change if the virus becomes endemic in wild birds and/or in a specific geographic area.

Webby stated that this “certainly appears to be the case” in Europe and Africa. He also said, “My gut feeling is that we’re heading the same way in the Americas.”

Webby states that “these are actual discussions that are happening now.” Webby describes ideas like what type of surveillance would be required to “make sure that your trading partners are happy with the fact that the virus isn’t circulating silently.”

The summer ended with the last outbreak. This one survived.

Experts believe that poultry farms are responsible for limiting the spread of the virus, and should be credited for their success with surveillance and biosecurity programs. The deadly influenza virus remains infective nearly 11 months after it was first identified in a wild case.

Hagerman states that influenza generally disappears when it gets hot.

This was also true in the 2014-2015 epidemic, which occurred when Hagerman was employed at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (or APHIS).

Hagerman explains that heat and bright sunlight kill the virus in the environment. This is how the summer weather helped to end an earlier outbreak.

Hagerman states that “this time, we didn’t notice that virus circulation going to zero in wild birds population” during the summer. She says that the virus remained relatively stable through the summer, and then it starts to heat up in the cooler, wetter months. Then, there is a resurgence.

Hagerman states that the long-running outbreak is discouraging. “If you look at Europe, you can see they are on two year of HPAI epidemics.”