Avian Flu Outbreak Spreads to Marine Life as Agriculture Secretary Warns Against Experimental Vaccines

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins testified before a Senate budget hearing on April 22, addressing the ongoing avian bird flu outbreak ravaging poultry flocks. NTD News reports Rollins stated no effective vaccine exists yet, emphasizing caution against experimental shots without full understanding of the virus. She highlighted high fertilizer prices exacerbating farm challenges amid the crisis. CIDRAP confirms recent U.S. outbreaks, with four commercial poultry facilities hit last week—one each in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Georgia. Minnesotas Big Stone County turkey farm lost 62,900 birds. Over the past 30 days, roughly 700,000 birds affected across 28 commercial and eight backyard flocks. Wild bird detections slowed, but three bald eagles in Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and New York tested positive, alongside California gulls. In California, 11 more marine mammals—mostly sea lions—confirmed with H5N1, pushing the outbreak total to 58 across four counties, per CIDRAP. This marks the states first such detections in marine life since February, with symptoms like tremors and respiratory issues. CDC's FluView for week ending April 18 reports no new human H5 infections in the U.S., with zero person-to-person transmission identified. Globally, WHO's April 24 update notes avian flu circulating in poultry, posing mutation risks, while European data through February tallied thousands of bird cases but just 10 mild human infections in Asia. Moderna launched a large avian flu study despite prior funding cuts, and researchers announced a promising new vaccine effective in mice and cattle, per Michigan Farm News. Activity appears stable with no major escalations in the last 24 hours. Thank you for tuning in. Come back next week for more. This has been a Quiet Please production, and for me check out Quiet Please Dot A I. For more http://www.quietplease.ai Get the best deals https://amzn.to/3ODvOta