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Cal-Maine Foods recently announced that they have halted egg production temporarily after it was confirmed that chickens at the Texas plant were infected by avian bird flu. The pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) infection at the Parmer County, Texas facility has resulted in the loss of over 1.6 million laying hens and over 337,000 young hens.
With its headquarters located in Ridgeland, Mississippi, Cal-Maine is one of the largest suppliers of eggs in the United States. The supplier sells its eggs through several big and small retail platforms and mostly distributes them across the Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, Southeast, and Southwest states of the country.
As the egg producer now faces a slight decrease in total egg production, it has been trying to procure production from its other facilities to ensure an undisrupted supply of the breakfast favorite for all customers.
The company is also working with federal agencies to negate risks of a similar outbreak in the future.
The supplier announced the plans for the temporary halt earlier this week, with a representative commenting:
"The Company remains dedicated to robust biosecurity programs across its locations; however, no farm is immune from HPAI. HPAI is still present in the wild bird population and the extent of possible future outbreaks, with heightened risk during the migration seasons, cannot be predicted."
Everything to know about the bird flu outbreak amidst Cal-Maine Foods halting egg production
The pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak at Cal-Maine's Parmer County, Texas has resulted in the loss of over 3.6% of its total birds. The report comes in the wake of a recent rise in infection cases across the United States.
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) also recently received reports about a Texas citizen being affected by the avian flu virus. As per the reports the Texan was infected after being in contact with cattle.
Earlier, federal agencies conducted tests on some sick dairy cattle in Kansas and Texas and found them to be infected by the avian flu virus.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) believes the infections are linked to wild migratory birds. Last year, the outbreak not only led to a massive hike in the price of poultry and eggs but also caused the government a loss of over $660 million.
A poultry and egg-laying bird infected by avian flu may experience symptoms like - lethargy, loss of appetite, swelling of eyelids, twisted neck or head, sudden death, and the purple discoloration of body parts.
While there are no actual treatments for severe bird flu cases, mild cases can sometimes be treated with antibiotic medicines.
Readers must note that the risk of bird flu infections in humans has always been low, but health authorities suggest people be cautious against infected birds. Those who handle the infected birds or are always in close contact with them may have a slight chance of being infected.
An infected individual may usually be affected by mild infections in the respiratory system or the eyes. Certain individuals, however, may end up developing fatal diseases, including pneumonia.
