Thousands of Utah turkeys die from highly infectious avian flu

Utah officials report that thousands of turkeys are dead after a farm was hit with a highly contagious and deadly version of the avian flu, according to KTSU in Salt Lake.

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Officials with the Utah Department of Agriculture confirmed the outbreak last week and told the TV station that 142,000 turkeys have already been killed or died from the disease on a single farm that has been affected in Sanpete County, south of Salt Lake City.

The announcement called the “depopulation” unfortunate. Utah is among the larger turkey farm producers in the U.S., UADF spokesperson Bailee Woolstenhulme said, “And so, we’re hoping it doesn’t spread throughout any more of our farms.”

It’s too soon to tell if the outbreak will have an effect on turkey sales during the holidays, she said. Last year, the flu led to a rise in turkey prices to about $2 a pound, Utah Public Radio reported.

“We were hoping that we were going to get by this year without seeing any cases,” said UDAF spokeswoman Bailee Woolstenhulme. “Unfortunately, it was a larger turkey farm down there in Sanpete County that contracted the disease.”

Federal and state teams are testing farms around the area to make sure the disease has not spread. The disease is spread by affected wild turkeys who carry it to domesticated turkeys.

There are so far no human cases of this particular strain of flu in America, but officials still warned consumers to properly cook eggs and poultry to stay safe. Bird owners and farmers in Sanpete County have been asked to keep a close eye on flocks for any sign of avian flu.

Last year, Utah turkey farms were particularly hard hit, with farms in the Sanpete County area losing more than 400,000 birds, and 700,000 statewide, according to Utah Public Radio. Authorities are acting quickly in hopes of avoiding losses that severe

Symptoms include a high death rate among affected flocks, nasal discharge, decreased appetite, and loss of coordination.