avian flu

The researchers at Washington University in St. Louis say the device could keep farmers from having to cull their flocks when they detect the contagious virus, which has affected more than 5 million birds in Missouri since 2022.

Federal agencies have mandated and facilitated testing for the H5N1 virus to try to protect birds, cows and humans; researchers in the Midwest hope those efforts continue under the new presidential administration.

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.

Egg prices are expected to increase by 20% in 2025, largely due to the spread of a highly pathogenic avian influenza. That's on top of an almost 40% price increase last year.

There is one economic riddle ahead of Super Bowl Sunday: The egg market has been hit hard by avian flu, but wings are abundant and relatively affordable this year. So what gives?

Migrating birds often drive up numbers of avian influenza among wild birds and sometimes farm animals.

Tests of geese found in Henry and Vernon counties showed probable avian influenza infections, prompting the Missouri Department of Conservation to warn people to avoid touching any dead waterfowl and report them for testing.

The agency tested blood from health workers who had been exposed to a person with H5N1 bird flu and later developed flu-like symptoms, raising concerns of human transmission.

A routine flu screening in late summer found the H5N1 virus in a Missouri patient. Unlike the other reported cases of avian flu, this person did not report being in recent contact with animals.

So far, there have been 14 human cases of bird flu this year. All the patients — except the one from Missouri — had been linked to sick dairy cows or poultry.

H5N1 has not been detected in Missouri’s dairy herd, but some of the state’s poultry flock has been affected. Exhibitors bringing Cows to the Missouri State Fair need to have their milk tested before arriving.

The USDA has confirmed 126 cases of bird flu in dairy cattle herds in a dozen states, and three dairy farmworkers have contracted the disease this year. Now Kansas is one of four states participating in a pilot program to test bulk milk tanks on dairy farms.