The news that a case of Avian Flu has now been confirmed here in Pennsylvania and that has wildlife and poultry industry officials on high alert, they have been meeting and comparing notes of the past few months in case of an outbreak, which they say could even impact food prices.
Gary Sinderson has more.
The latest outbreak of a highly contagious strain of avian flu, also known as bird flu, already detected in close to 20 states, including some surrounding Pennsylvania,
“We are on high alert. With that, you know, the dangerous poultry population east of the Mississippi alive still carries”
The virus, causes respiratory problems and in some cases, sudden death among birds or the last big outbreaks back in 2015 in the Midwest, where tens of millions of chickens and turkeys were killed. With the sizable and wide ranging economic impact.
“We also know firsthand, based on 20 1516, that was 1,000,000,000 dollar expense for the Midwest. We’re also concerned about the impact on food safety and particularly food costs.”
Penn State experts are among those keeping a close eye on the virus.
“We’re meeting every week to review what situation is. We’ve got everybody from the poultry science team investigating cases to 4H educators.
Officials say the current Avian Flu outbreak is primarily an animal health issue, with a low risk to the health of the general public.
