According to data released on Thursday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, avian flu has killed 50.54 million birds in the United States this year, making it the deadliest outbreak in the history of the country.
The deaths of chickens, turkeys and other animals mark the largest animal health crisis to ever affect the United States. The previous record, set in 2015 when 50.5 million birds perished as a result of an avian flu outbreak, has now been surpassed.
Birds often die after becoming infected. Entire flocks, which can top a million birds at egg-laying chicken farms, are also culled to control the spread of the disease after a bird tests positive.
The cost of Thursday’s Thanksgiving celebrations in the United States increased due to the loss of chicken flocks, which worsened consumer misery from heated inflation and brought egg and turkey meat prices to record highs. The avian flu crisis in Europe and Britain is also at its worst; some British shops restricted customers’ egg purchases after the epidemic interrupted supplies.
According to USDA data, the U.S. outbreak, which started in February, affected flocks of both poultry and non-poultry birds in 46 states. The highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus is spread by wild birds like ducks by their droppings, feathers or direct contact with poultry.
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