Highly contagious virus experiencing resurgence in US posing risk to food safety

Despite the virus, which has infected 70 people since last year and killed one, falling under the radar over the summer, it is once again on the rise, striking 7million farmed birds nationwide since the beginning of September. 

Among them were 1.3million turkeys, which could lead to shortages ahead of Thanksgiving. 

Bird flu outbreaks typically flare during the fall as birds like ducks, geese and poultry migrate to escape increasingly cold temperatures.

The latest figures from the US Department of Agriculture show 33 states have detected H5N1 in wild birds within the last 30 days. Michigan reported the highest amount of detections with 54 flocks of wild birds, followed by Minnesota with 19 Colorado with 17 and Kansas with 16.

Additionally, Idaho, Nebraska and Texas have identified outbreaks among dairy cows.

However, CDC data trac king human cases, as well as animal outbreaks, is delayed amid the government shutdown, leaving exact case estimates unclear. 

The USDA has said it would use emergency funds to support bird flu surveillance during the shutdown, and the CDC said it has maintained several 'essential' staff members in case of an emergency.  

Bird flu can be transmitted to humans through food, but properly cooking meats and pasteurizing dairy typically kills the virus. There is no current evidence of human-to-human transmission. 

Bernt Nelson, an economist at the American Farm Bureau Federation, estimates prices of wholesale turkeys are already 40 percent higher than last year. 

'Our turkey guys are getting hit pretty hard this fall,' he told The New York Times. 

Bird flu has infected 180million farmed birds since 2022 and more than 1,000 herds of dairy cows since early 2024.

The majority of the 70 Americans sickened by H5N1 were farm workers exposed to infected animals. In January, person older than 65 with underlying health conditions became the first US bird flu death after they were hospitalized with severe respiratory symptoms. 

While almost all patients had direct contact with infected birds or cattle, a patient in Missouri became the first to be infected without any exposure to these animals last year. 

It's still unclear how that patient became ill. 

Symptoms in humans include eye redness and irritation (conjunctivitis), mild fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headaches and fatigue, according to the CDC. 

In rare but severe cases, patients may suffer pneumonia, respiratory failure, kidney injuries, organ failure, sepsis and inflammation of the brain (meningoencephalitis).  

Richard Webby, an influenza expert at St Jude Children's Research Hospital, told The New York Times that H5N1 has 'settled into a seasonal pattern.'

'This is going to continue to be the new norm,' he said. 

In addition to H5N1, Thanksgiving turkeys can harbor bacteria like salmonella and E. coli, which lead to bloody diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea and vomiting. The USDA recommends cooking a until its internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit to kill lingering bacteria.