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Avian Influenza Scare Has Ohio Egg Industry Scrambling

Photo by Flickr's Adeel Anwer.
Photo by Flickr's Adeel Anwer.

Avian influenza has threatened the nation’s egg production, boosting bio-security measures in Ohio to stave off any outbreaks.  ideastream’s Brian Bull reports:

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To date, at least 47 million birds in roughly 200 facilities – largely in Iowa and Minnesota -- have been lost.  Entire flocks of turkeys and chickens have died – either from the avian flu or by workers culling them.  The avian flu hasn’t hit Ohio but the state’s poultry farmers are taking precautionary measures.

Mo Saif is with the Food Animal Health Program at Ohio State University.  He says besides banning all poultry exhibits at county fairs, Ohio ag producers clean or disinfect personnel and feed trucks, safeguard flock houses against visitors -- including rodents and wild birds that could spread the avian flu -- and proactively prevent their birds from getting sick. 

“The birds are vaccinated using a variety of vaccines," says Saif. "Blood samples are obtained to make sure that they develop antibodies against these specific diseases that we vaccinate for. Swabs are tested to find out if there are any pathogens in these birds.  These things are done routinely, in these layer operations.”

Saif says if there were a confirmed case of avian flu among a flock, the birds would either be buried or incinerated after they’re euthanized. And workers would not be allowed to leave until they had a change of clothes and protective gear.

Saif says the good news is, warm weather has slowed the spread of the virus and there haven’t been any more reported outbreaks in two weeks.

Ohio is the second top egg producer in the U.S. after Iowa.