A highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu outbreak has led to the deaths of more than 13,000 southern elephant seal pups on a remote sub-Antarctic island. Scientists say the virus is increasingly crossing species barriers, raising urgent concerns about its evolving threat to wildlife populations.

Experts warn that this outbreak highlights how shifting ecosystems, climate pressures, and viral mutations are reshaping the relationship between disease and the natural world. The scale of the deaths underscores growing fears about biodiversity risks linked to emerging pathogens.

Bird Flu’s Deadly Leap: 13,000 Seal Pups Killed In Massive Outbreak

More than four million chickens will be culled by the farmers in Iowa, United States as the country battles&nbsp;one of the worst bird flu outbreaks in its history.

A case of highly pathogenic and deadly bird flu has been detected at a large egg farm among egg-laying chicken flock in Iowa and has affected 4.2 million birds, announced the state on Tuesday (May 28).

This is the biggest bird flu outbreak reported in the United States since 2022. This is the first time such an outbreak has been detected in Iowa in December.&nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/raw-milk-contaminated-with-bird-flu-virus-damaging-multiple-organs-of-mice-study-725263">Raw milk contaminated with bird-flu virus damaging multiple organs of mice: study</a>

Iowa is the biggest producer of eggs in the United States as it has almost 12 per cent of the country’s layer hens in its farms, as per the US Department of Agriculture data.&nbsp;

The findings were made at a time when dairy cows have been infected by the virus across the country.

<h2>Slaughtering of chickens only resort to combat flu</h2>

The farmers are now in the process of slaughtering 4.2 million chickens after the detection of the disease at a farm in Sioux County, Iowa.&nbsp;

The virus was last week found at an egg farm west of Minneapolis, Minnesota which led to the culling of nearly 1.4 million chickens.

Till now, nearly 92.34 million birds have been slaughtered after the&nbsp;outbreak&nbsp;started in 2022, as per the US Department of Agriculture.

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, in a statement, confirmed that the site is in Sioux County on Tuesday (May 28).

Watch:&nbsp;Bird Flu: US officials report second human case of H5N1 infection

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This is the worst outbreak since the virus first affected more than 5 million birds at a farm in Iowa’s Osceola County in March 2022 when the virus first started to spread in the United States.&nbsp;

The virus has entered the dairy as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said they had found fragments of the&nbsp;bird flu virus in a few samples of&nbsp;pasteurised&nbsp;milk in the United States.&nbsp;

The US Department of Agriculture had also found bird flu&nbsp;in beef for the first time.

However, the officials said that a single sickened dairy&nbsp;cow's&nbsp;meat did not have permission to enter the&nbsp;food supply of the country&nbsp;and hence, beef was safe to eat.

(With inputs from agencies)

More than four million chickens will be culled by the farmers in Iowa, United States as the country battles one of the worst bird flu outbreaks in its history. A case of highly pathogenic and deadly bird flu has been detected at a large egg farm among egg-laying chicken flock in Iowa and has affected 4.

More than four million chickens will be culled by the farmers in Iowa, United States as the country battles one of the worst bird flu outbreaks in its history. A case of highly pathogenic and deadly bird flu has been detected at a large egg farm among egg-laying chicken flock in Iowa and has affected 4.2 million birds, announced the state on Tuesday (May 28). This is the biggest bird flu outbreak reported in the United States since 2022. This is the first time such an outbreak has been detected in Iowa in December. Also Read: Raw milk contaminated with bird-flu virus damaging multiple organs of mice: study Iowa is the biggest producer of eggs in the United States as it has almost 12 per cent of the country’s layer hens in its farms, as per the US Department of Agriculture data. The findings were made at a time when dairy cows have been infected by the virus across the country. Slaughtering of chickens only resort to combat flu The farmers are now in the process of slaughtering 4.2 million chickens after the detection of the disease at a farm in Sioux County, Iowa. The virus was last week found at an egg farm west of Minneapolis, Minnesota which led to the culling of nearly 1.4 million chickens. Till now, nearly 92.34 million birds have been slaughtered after the outbreak started in 2022, as per the US Department of Agriculture. The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, in a statement, confirmed that the site is in Sioux County on Tuesday (May 28). Watch: Bird Flu: US officials report second human case of H5N1 infection This is the worst outbreak since the virus first affected more than 5 million birds at a farm in Iowa’s Osceola County in March 2022 when the virus first started to spread in the United States. The virus has entered the dairy as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said they had found fragments of the bird flu virus in a few samples of pasteurised milk in the United States. The US Department of Agriculture had also found bird flu in beef for the first time. However, the officials said that a single sickened dairy cow's meat did not have permission to enter the food supply of the country and hence, beef was safe to eat. (With inputs from agencies)

More than four million chickens set to be culled as United States battles worst bird flu outbreak

A World Health Organization (WHO) official said on Tuesday (Apr 30) there was a risk of the H5N1 bird flu virus spreading to cows in countries other than the United States through migratory birds.

A World Health Organization (WHO) official said on Tuesday (Apr 30) there was a risk of the H5N1 bird flu virus spreading to cows in countries other than the United States through migratory birds. WHO further noted that Washington is frequently updated about the outbreak. So far, the US is the only country where dairy cows have been infected as earlier this month, US authorities said a person working on a dairy farm in Texas was recovering from bird flu after having been exposed to cattle. "We have been receiving information and we have been receiving almost daily updates," said Wenqing Zhang, head of the global influenza programme at the World Health Organization. "The response update has been updated routinely and in transparency. So we've got the information when it's available and we update our risk assessment," she told a press conference on being asked whether or not the US was being transparent. Also read: Trump hush money trial: Former US president fined $9,000 for violating gag order The official said that serological studies were underway but may take time to complete, adding that genetic sequencing data had been made available, some "at a very early stage" of the US cattle outbreak. She added that "the genetic sequence data of the human case was immediately available when it came out". WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier added: "The fact that this got picked up, the fact that we now know about individual cases somewhere in some farm -- that shows that the surveillance system works." Also read: AstraZeneca Covid vaccine: Court case, rare side effects, admission of guilt, and more. All you need to know Avian influenza A(H5N1) first emerged in 1996. The 2.3.4.4b clade of the virus, first detected in 2020, is behind an exponential growth in the number of outbreaks in birds. The strain has led to the deaths of tens of millions of poultry, with wild birds and land and marine mammals also infected. (With inputs from agencies)

US providing frequent updates on bird flu outbreak: WHO

The worst-ever bird flu outbreak in Japan has destroyed its poultry herds, sending egg costs skyrocketing. There is no longer enough area to bury dead chickens.&nbsp;

This season, more than 17 million birds have been killed across the country. To avoid spreading the virus or compromising water systems, remains must be appropriately disposed of. According to NHK, local administrations and farmers say there is a scarcity of adequate land to bury them.

The situation of Japan emphasises the need for countries to rethink how they deal with bird flu, especially when record-breaking death tolls from the virus have become the norm around the world. While most outbreaks have occurred in Europe, the United States, and Asia, the illness has recently moved to South America.

This is detrimental to&nbsp;global meat and egg supply at a time when inflationary fears are high. In Japan, the outbreak has pushed corporations such as McDonald's and 7-Eleven to either stop selling egg-related products or raise their prices.

Farmers and authorities typically prepare pre-incident strategies to manage wastes generated during a bird flu outbreak, such as carcasses, manure, and personal protective equipment. However, the quantity of chickens to be disposed of has surpassed their expectations, according to NHK. If they can obtain incinerator facilities, some localities are burning dead chickens. 
 
(With inputs from agencies) 
 
&nbsp;

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The worst-ever bird flu outbreak in Japan has destroyed its poultry herds, sending egg costs skyrocketing. There is no longer enough area to bury dead chickens. This season, more than 17 million birds have been killed across the country.

The worst-ever bird flu outbreak in Japan has destroyed its poultry herds, sending egg costs skyrocketing. There is no longer enough area to bury dead chickens. This season, more than 17 million birds have been killed across the country. To avoid spreading the virus or compromising water systems, remains must be appropriately disposed of. According to NHK, local administrations and farmers say there is a scarcity of adequate land to bury them. The situation of Japan emphasises the need for countries to rethink how they deal with bird flu, especially when record-breaking death tolls from the virus have become the norm around the world. While most outbreaks have occurred in Europe, the United States, and Asia, the illness has recently moved to South America. This is detrimental to global meat and egg supply at a time when inflationary fears are high. In Japan, the outbreak has pushed corporations such as McDonald's and 7-Eleven to either stop selling egg-related products or raise their prices. Farmers and authorities typically prepare pre-incident strategies to manage wastes generated during a bird flu outbreak, such as carcasses, manure, and personal protective equipment. However, the quantity of chickens to be disposed of has surpassed their expectations, according to NHK. If they can obtain incinerator facilities, some localities are burning dead chickens. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Japan has no land to bury dead chickens amid worst-ever bird flu outbreak

A bird flu outbreak in northern Israel has killed almost 5,000 wild cranes.

The deceased birds were tallied in the Hula Lake Reserve on Sunday, according to the Times of Israel.

It comes in the midst of an avian flu outbreak that has resulted in the culling of over half a million hens and turkeys.

Each year, tens of thousands of wild cranes pass through Israel on their journey to Africa. The majority of them came to a halt in the Hula Valley, where the dead birds were tallied.

According to the article, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority and the KKL-JNF Jewish National Fund uncovered another 250 dead cranes outside the reserve in the Hula Valley. Another 30 were located elsewhere.

According to the INPA, the disease was carried from Moshav Margaliot to the Hula Reserve by a truck driver who provided food to chicken coops before delivering food to the Hula Reserve.

In addition to the dead birds, an INPA spokesperson said that 10,000 are believed to be infected.

According to Uri Naveh, a senior scientist at the INPA, the virus attacks Israel every year, but this year's epidemic is far larger than prior ones.

He described the quantity of dead cranes as "unprecedented."

Until January 1, the reserve is closed to the public.

(With inputs from agencies)

A bird flu outbreak in northern Israel has killed almost 5,000 wild cranes. The deceased birds were tallied in the Hula Lake Reserve on Sunday, according to the Times of Israel.

A bird flu outbreak in northern Israel has killed almost 5,000 wild cranes. The deceased birds were tallied in the Hula Lake Reserve on Sunday, according to the Times of Israel. It comes in the midst of an avian flu outbreak that has resulted in the culling of over half a million hens and turkeys. Each year, tens of thousands of wild cranes pass through Israel on their journey to Africa. The majority of them came to a halt in the Hula Valley, where the dead birds were tallied. According to the article, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority and the KKL-JNF Jewish National Fund uncovered another 250 dead cranes outside the reserve in the Hula Valley. Another 30 were located elsewhere. According to the INPA, the disease was carried from Moshav Margaliot to the Hula Reserve by a truck driver who provided food to chicken coops before delivering food to the Hula Reserve. In addition to the dead birds, an INPA spokesperson said that 10,000 are believed to be infected. According to Uri Naveh, a senior scientist at the INPA, the virus attacks Israel every year, but this year's epidemic is far larger than prior ones. He described the quantity of dead cranes as "unprecedented." Until January 1, the reserve is closed to the public. (With inputs from agencies)

Israel bird flu outbreak kills over 5,000 wild cranes