Avian influenza did not take a holiday this year. The past week has seen reports of the first serious U.S. hospitalization, the death of a house cat from eating infected cat food and the first infection reported in urban Los Angeles.
And have you seen the price of eggs? Anyone baking holiday goodies had to pay near-record prices for eggs as bird flu decimated commercial poultry flocks across the country. The average cost of a dozen Grade A large eggs was $3.65 in November, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, up from $3.37 in October and $2.50 at the beginning of the year.
Prices close to $5 a dozen were not uncommon as Christmas approached.
Earlier in December, the Michael Foods subsidiary of Post Holdings reported 4.5 million birds were destroyed at a third-party facility in Iowa, the result of an outbreak among that flock.
A week ago, federal officials said an older person in Louisiana became severely ill after being infected by a backyard flock. The man is experiencing severe respiratory symptoms and is in critical condition. He was more than 65 years old, according to reports, and had underlying medical conditions.
The Los Angeles County Public Health Dept. saw its first case of avian influenza on Dec. 23, an adult who got sick after being exposed to infected livestock. That victim had mild symptoms, was treated with antivirals and is recovering at home. That case came four days after California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency because of increasing reports of bird flu.
Those two bring to 61 the number of people infected in the U.S. so far this year.
A pet cat in Oregon died after eating frozen raw pet food, which later tested positive for the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus. Northwest Naturals of Portland, Ore., owned by Morasch Meats, recalled one batch of its 2-lb. Feline Turkey Recipe cat food.
Also on the West Coast, a Washington state wildlife sanctuary reported 20 wildcats died of a bird flu outbreak there. The Wild Felid Advocacy Center of Washington, in Shelton, announced it was under quarantine and would be closed to the public until further notice to protect the animals and stop the spread.