© Flickr/Jeremy Bronson
While officials maintain the massive die off, culling, of the fowl should pose little to no health threat to the general public, the loss has added to growing fears that this years poultry stock will weigh in at an all-time low. And coupled with the fact that California's extreme drought situation might affect up to 50% of America's, fruit, vegetable and nut supply within the next year or two we may soon be facing a massive food crisis.
According to reports the outbreak has baffled scientists who are scrambling to find the source which some say are water fowl, such as ducks.
So far the Hormel Foods Jennie-O Turkey Store, a bird farm of 310,000, located in Minnesota, was the most heavily impacted by the virus dwindling the states $600 million turkey business. In total, Hormel Foods has recently lost over 600,000 fowl to the outbreak.
Alarmingly the Star Tribune recently reported how "farmers are trying to seal their barns to keep the bug out". Mike Hughlett wrote:
The bug is mysterious. It's believed to originate in wild waterfowl — particularly ducks — who don't get sick from the virus but spread it through their feces or nasal droppings. Somehow the virus has infiltrated enclosed barns stuffed with thousands of turkeys.
"When you look at a map, you see a lot of turkey farms in Minnesota," said T.J. Myers, associate deputy administrator in veterinary services for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. "When you look at a map of Minnesota, you also see a lot of lakes."
As of now we will just have to just wait and see if the virus can be quelled by officials before the strain mutates, possibly jumping to humans.
Additional Sources:
Bird flu outbreak spreads to 3 more Midwest turkey farms — AP
Bird flu outbreak confirmed at 14th MN turkey farm — KARE 11
Bird flu confirmed at North Dakota turkey farm, 4 more in Minnesota — Fox News
Minnesota turkey farmers could take devastating financial hit because of bird flu — Star Tribune
Comment: Perhaps the investigating officials wouldn't be so baffled and running around like chickens with their heads cut off to contain their virus if they stopped to look at the environment in which these farm-raised birds live. The overcrowded, unsanitary conditions and rampant use of antibiotics is surely explanation enough for these 'virus' outbreaks.
Investigators would be better served looking at nutritional, immunological and environmental factors rather than hunting for some elusive virus. For more on this topic check out Sott Talk Radio's Health and Wellness Show interview with Dr. Kohnlein, co-author of Virus Mania: How the Medical Industry Continually Invents Epidemics, Making Billion-Dollar Profits At Our Expense