The state of California has killed around 8.4 million birds in the past month during the current avian influenza outbreak. According to data supplied by the United States Department of Agriculture, California farmers euthanized nearly 3 million birds impacted by highly pathogenic avian influenza just during the first week of December as more than 30 dairy herds tested positive for the disease.

Back in October, we noted that California has become the new “epicenter” of this HPAI (highly pathogenic avian influenza).

California Is Now The “Epicenter” Of The Bird Flu Outbreak

Bird flu also was confirmed in 227 herds of dairy cows in California during the past 30 days, bringing the state’s total to 506 dairies. No other states had outbreaks in that period, according to a report by Capital Press.  In the largest outbreak of the past week, reported on December 5th, a commercial table egg layer in Merced County euthanized 1.72 million chickens.

4 Egg Farm Workers Tested Positive For Bird Flu In California

Iowa currently leads the U.S. with 23.3 million birds impacted total, but it hadn’t reported an outbreak in the previous 30 days as of December 9th. Arizona was second for cases in the past month with 791,000, followed by Minnesota with 296,000, South Dakota with 282,000, and Utah with 160,000.

The U.S. has had 58 cases of humans infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza, and California leads the nation with 32 instances.

All but one were exposed via cattle, and it isn’t clear how that individual became sick, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Washington is second in the nation with 11 human cases, all exposed through poultry. –Capital Press

Bird flu appears to be infecting more animals, but the virus has still not mutated to infect human beings just yet.

H5N1 Bird Flu Now Transmissible In Humans?

The health authorities have stated previously that they already know what mutations need to take place in order for this virus to be spread from human to human.

Other concerns about possible pandemics are surfacing as well. Rwanda has a Marburg outbreak ravaging the African nation, while the Democratic Republic of Congo also fights a mystery virus sickening hundreds, with symptoms similar to the flu.

U.S. Issues Travel Alert Because Of Marburg Virus Outbreak In Rwanda

Mystery Illness Continues To Spread In African State