Avian Flu Outbreak Wipes out 50.54 Million US Birds, a Record

Avian Flu Outbreak Wipes out 50.54 Million US Birds, a Record
Cage-free chickens inside a facility at Hilliker's Ranch Fresh Eggs in Lakeside, Calif., on April 19, 2022. Mike Blake/Reuters
Reuters
Updated:

CHICAGO—Avian flu has wiped out 50.54 million birds in the United States this year, making it the country’s deadliest outbreak in history, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) data showed on Thursday.

The deaths of chickens, turkeys, and other birds represent the worst U.S. animal-health disaster to date, topping the previous record of 50.5 million birds that died in an avian-flu outbreak in 2015.