CBS News Scientists, veterinarians, and technicians at the Pennsylvania Veterinary Laboratory are working to contain the spread of bird flu, a disease that has costed the agriculture industry thousands of dollars.
The Department of Agriculture reports that since April 2022, Pennsylvania has lost more than seven million birds due to the disease, leading to increased grocery prices due to reduced production.
Dr. Alex Hamberg, Pennsylvania State Veterinarian, emphasized the urgency of the situation: “If we don’t take aggressive action to contain it, and it spreads throughout a wide sector of the poultry industry and all the neighboring farms, then we lose a huge amount of production and that would certainly have an impact on food price is going forward.”
The state is hopeful that implementing biosecurity measures, will help prevent another outbreak like the one earlier this year.
“By excluding that pathogen, you’re also excluding other disease-causing agents, so it’s not just avian influenza that you’re keeping out,” Dr. Hamberg said. “…It’s the other bacteria viruses that can cause production losses, drive up prices, decrease productivity, decrease efficiency, things of that nature.”