bird flu

An outbreak of H5 avian influenza was confirmed by United States health agencies in mid-2024. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the public health risk is currently low - but states are still monitoring the progression.

Staff at the World Bird Sanctuary in St. Louis are taking extra precautions to protect raptor species from H5 avian influenza. Officials from the Missouri Department of Conservation say rates of the virus are rising among birds of prey.

Missouri’s falconry hunting season opened February 11 for ducks, coots and mergansers, and light goose season began on February 7. Conservation experts say waterfowl can carry avian flu, and it's important to take proper precautions around wild birds.

The new strategy aims to pinpoint where bird flu exists in the U.S. and halt its spread. There have been hundreds of cases in cattle and dozens in humans.

Health officials say they don’t know how a Missouri person caught bird flu, but they believe it may be a rare instance of a “one-off,” stand-alone illness

The U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to embark on a year-long study beginning next month that will test samples for evidence of highly pathogenic avian influenza from former dairy cattle moved into meat production.

State agriculture officials don’t think the outbreak has infected any Missouri herds.

With bird flu spilling into dairies across the U.S., several Midwestern states have ramped up efforts to curb the virus. Few have expanded testing requirements like Iowa.

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Farmers and agriculture officials are gearing up for another round of bird flu this fall, an outbreak they fear could be worse than the devastating spring crisis that hit turkeys and egg-laying hens in the Midwest, wiped out entire farms and sent egg prices sky-high.The potential target of the highly pathogenic avian flu this fall could be broilers, or meat chickens, as the outbreaks have been triggered and carried by wild birds, which will be flying south in great numbers this fall through several U.S. flyways.