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Key Takeaways
Birds are having a rough year.
Whats more, the virus has spread far beyond its typical avian hosts.
Its extremely rare for humans to contract bird flu unless they come into close contact with infected animals.
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The risk to humans remains low.
How Does Bird Flu Infect Other Animal Species?
That means animals that eat or otherwise come in contact with infected animals or their excrement may get sick.
The virus quickly spread throughout the farm, indicating the minks could be infecting each other.
Farm workers culled all 52,000 minks on the farm.
Eleven farm workers came in contact with the mink, but they all tested negative for H5N1.
Will Bird Flu Cause an Outbreak in Humans?
This is partly because humans dont have many protective antibodies against the virus.
There were four cases of H5N1 in 2022, according to theWorld Health Organization.
Only one poultry worker in the U.S.got sickfrom the virus in recent outbreaks.
Is It Still Safe to Eat Eggs and Chickens?
With cooked chicken and cooked eggs, you are good to go.
There is no problem there.
The virus absolutely cannot handle an oven, Sawatzki said.
Wearing personal protective equipment around animals is really only necessary for birds that show clear signs of sickness.
This is a really deadly flu for these chickens.
What This Means For You
Most people do not need to worry about exposure to avian flu.
U.S. Department of Agriculture.Confirmations of highly pathogenic avian influenza in commercial and backyard flocks.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Novel influenza A virus infections.
