Bird Flu Outbreaks Around DC
There is a lot of talk all throughout the country about the bird flu going around, and the effects of it. However, today we are going to talk about one specific area that is having drastic effects.
If you are in the DC or Maryland area, be warned and stay informed! As of today, Dana Hedgpeth from The Washington Post on MSN has reported that three poultry operations in Maryland and Delaware have reported outbreaks of bird flu. It is also reported that over 500,000 chickens are currently being affected by this. The Maryland state veterinarian Jennifer Trout has addressed this issue of bird flu claiming that there will be even more focus on safety measures and reasonable precautions. As Jennifer Trout puts it, “We’re tripling down now” (Hedgpeth).
According to Dana Hedgepeth from The Washington Post, in order to mitigate this dangerous and destructive situation, around 250,000 birds were euthanized in order to prevent the spread of the virus at a Caroline County farm. This virus can also be very destructive because the poultry industry in just the Delmarva area employs around 19,000 people per year and also generates $4.4 billion a year.
If this virus is not controlled and important safety measures are not taken in order to slow or stop this, there can easily be a big economic decrease for this area resulting in many people being laid off and much less revenue being generated due to less materials available, and the costs and trouble to bring in potentially hundreds of thousands of birds. This will most likely cause an increase in poultry prices in a time where a lot of necessities are rather expensive. Obviously, it is extraordinarily important to practice the recommended measures and precautions if you are a poultry owner. If you do not do this, the industry can decline quickly. This hurts consumers that choose to purchase from your business or the industry as a whole as you may not have as many products to sell!
This can affect the population not only because of the decrease in chicken availability which promptly causes an increase in price, but also because of things such as egg prices going up as well. Overall, this can raise prices on animal-related products due to the shortage of healthy and available material. This virus will also most likely cause the number of offspring born to decrease due to a potential lack of mates among certain animals.
Even though it is called “bird flu,” birds are obviously not the only ones who can contract this as dairy cattle have also had bird flu along with other animals and humans. Animals can easily contract this from other animals as there are plenty of animals such as wild birds that spread this disease and these animals can be less controllable and can get near other animals such as chickens. Humans can contract this from coming into contact with an infected animal. This is why it is advised for children especially to be kept away from wild birds and wild bird droppings.
The previously referenced article goes on to give some important information and instructions, experts say that if you hunt wild birds, work in commercial poultry operations, or even raise backyard chicken flocks, you should take these measures:
- Don’t touch injured, sick, or dead birds
- If you see a bird of those listed conditions, report them to the USDA at 866-536-7593
- Keep children and pets away from wild birds & bird droppings
- Experts report that cows and raw milk may also carry this virus
- Due to this people and pets should not consume unpasteurized milk, raw meat, or undercooked meat.
- People who own poultry should put signs up around the fenced-off area of their flocks, which should warn people to stay away
- Poultry owners should also not have visitors come on their property
- Poultry owners should also be certain that wild birds are kept away from the poultry
Sources:
- Image:
- Getty Images, and Scott Olson. Article Courtesy of Maryland Matters and Danielle J. Brown. Large Group of Chickens in a Barn/Poultry Facility, marylandmatters.org/2025/01/10/bird-flu-found-in-caroline-county-marks-first-case-in-maryland-chickens-since-2023/. Accessed 11 Jan. 2025.
- Article Referenced:
- The Washington Post, and Dana Hedgpeth. “MSN- D.C. Area on Alert after Bird Flu Detected in Poultry in Maryland, Delaware.” Msn.com, Microsoft, 11 Jan. 2025, www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/dc-area-on-alert-after-bird-flu-detected-in-poultry-in-maryland-delaware/ar-BB1rhyxj?ocid=BingNewsSerp. Accessed 12 Jan. 2025.