#H5N1 ➡️ Illinois: Nearly 1 Million Chickens Slaughtered at Second-Largest Egg-Producing Farm in the U.S. amid Bird Flu Outbreak - There is no treatment available for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), so infected and exposed birds must be killed to contain the virus Nearly 1 million chickens have been slaughtered amid the largest active bird flu outbreak in the United States. - The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed earlier this month that the outbreak affected ➡️ 934,600 animals at a commercial table egg layer facility in Clinton County, Ill. - Village officials told KSDK the outbreak took place at ➡️ Rose Acre Farms, located outside Germantown. Rose Acre Farms, according to the company’s website, is ➡️ the second-largest egg producer in the country. (Cal-Maine Foods Ridgeland, Miss. holds the top spot.) - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) [have] confirmed the detection of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Commercial Table Egg Layer,” said the USDA. - There is no treatment available for HPAI, so infected and exposed birds must be killed to contain the virus. - According to the USDA, the H5N1 strain of HPAI “is present in wild birds worldwide and is causing outbreaks in U.S. domestic birds and dairy cattle.” - The health organization said “many other species are also susceptible to this virus,” and the USDA added that the H5N1 strain of HPAI is “a major threat to the poultry industry, animal health, trade and the economy worldwide.” - Caused by influenza type A viruses, the HPAI strains can wipe out entire flocks of chickens in days. Low pathogenicity avian influenza (LPAI) strains, meanwhile, cause few or no signs of illness, and they occur naturally in birds around the world. (Still, some LPAI strains can become highly pathogenic in poultry, per the USDA.) - The viruses rarely infect humans, but most cases in the United States have been mild and affected individuals who had known exposure to sick or infected animals, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). - Mild signs and symptoms of bird flu in people include eye redness and irritation, mild fever, cough, a sore throat, a runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches and fatigue, according to the CDC. By Nicholas Rice people.com/nearly-1-million-…