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The virus, which had been quiet during the summer, is socking poultry flocks just as holiday demand peaks — and in the middle of a federal government shutdown.
White-feathered turkeys on a farm during an overcast day.
Avian flu tends to surge in the fall, as wild birds begin flying south; this year, it was surging during a government shutdown, when federal agencies that would normally take the lead are operating with skeletal staffs. Credit. …Casey Steffens for The New York Times
Bird flu is back. And after a relatively low-key summer, the virus has struck dozens of poultry flocks, killing nearly seven million farmed birds in the United States since early September. Among them: some 1.3 million turkeys, adding pressure to the country’s turkey supply ahead of Thanksgiving.
Reports of infected wild birds have also spiked this fall, and three states — Idaho, Nebraska and Texas — have reported outbreaks in dairy cows.
After all, the virus typically flares in the fall as wild birds migrate south; this year’s uptick is coming during a government shutdown, which means that federal agencies normally involved in responding are operating with skeleton staff.
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