Bird Flu Surge in the US Affects 2 Million Turkeys — What It Means for Your Thanksgiving Feast

On a beach in Punta Delgada, Argentina, birds are dropping dead from the sky. With their majestic yellow beaks and black heads, terns are tumbling down, having seizures, and collapsing on the sand. The sand, which used to rumble with the high-pitched shrieks of elephant seals calling to their moms, is now splattered with carcasses, not just of these seals but also of sea lions, porpoises, dolphins, and seabirds. The culprit is a virus called “H5N1” or “bird flu.” Currently, it is spreading “like wildfire,” an expert described to NPR. While the virus doesn’t show any signs of fizzling out, everything from the sea animals to milking parlors, dairy farms, and poultry yards is being affected. Meanwhile, birds migrating south for the winter are quietly spreading the virus’s territory as they fly. Scientific American (SA) reports that nearly 8 million birds have lost their lives, of which 2 million are turkeys.

Dubbed “avian influenza,” the bird flu virus was observed to be emerging in September this year. Ever since, it has been unleashing destructive mischief upon life, not just birds, but also animals and humans. Farmers are forced to kill entire flocks to slow down the spread of the virus and to minimize the suffering of birds. Industry workers struggle to manage their stocks amidst this devastating disease. With Thanksgiving just two weeks away, people are depressed thinking about spiking egg prices and whether they would be able to serve a roast tray at dinner this year.

Michelle Kromm, a doctor of veterinary medicine, revealed to PHYS that the Upper Midwest is experiencing a “very active, highly pathogenic avian influenza season.” Industry, he said, is a kind of “tail end of that activity this fall.” One reason for this rapid proliferation, according to NPR, is the limitations of technology. Scientists involved in tracking the virus say they don’t have good visibility into what’s happening in animals or humans. All thanks to the federal government, which has scaled back on surveillance and communication.

"We're not in a great position for monitoring things," said Wendy Puryear, a virologist. "I've been deep in the weeds since it arrived here in the U.S., and I'm finding myself in a very uncomfortable place." The government shutdown only exacerbated the situation. With shutdown-driven funding cuts dragging on the coterie of industries in a puzzling stalemate, the lack of funds is pouring gas on the smoldering fire of this bird flu advancement, further making the customers vulnerable to human infections. Add to it the depressing federal meetings where every department is closing doors and hitting a dead end.

SA reports that the deadly virus has wiped out nearly 1 percent of the country’s annual turkey harvest in the past few months. The virus appeared to show a temporary lull during the summer, but with the arrival of autumn, it has re-established its foothold in the country. And not just the residents, but also industry workers and retailers are dismayed due to this. Thanksgiving turkeys are harvested from July through September, which means the ones for this festive season were already frozen before the bird flu outbreak. So while most of the frozen birds are safe to be eaten, the disease could massively trigger a destabilization in the supply chain, also impacting the prices.

Jada Thompson, an agricultural economist, told SA that most turkey producers these days are feeling like getting hit by waves one after the other. “Every time you get hit and you think, ‘I am recovering,’ you get hit by another wave.” Retailers are planning discounts, also going out of their way to scour donations so they can lower the prices with limited supplies. Elsewhere, experts are committed to spending up to $500 million to monitor farms’ biosecurity and conduct special inspections to examine the virus and how it is infiltrating the farms, per ProPublica.

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