As a precaution, a US company that makes fresh eggs has temporarily shut down a plant in the southwestern state of Texas after finding the H5N1 type of bird flu in chickens. After finding the virus at the plant, Cal-Maine Foods said in a statement on Tuesday that it had killed about 1.6 million egg-laying hens and another 337,000 young hens, which is 3.6% of its total group.
The business said it was working with all levels of the government and other business groups to "lower the risks of future outbreaks." Companies say there is no known risk of bird flu with eggs, and they have not had to cancel any.
The news came a day after Texas health officials said that someone who had worked on a dairy farm with bird flu-infected cows tested positive for the virus. The federal government in the United States said this is the first time someone got bird flu from dairy cows.
In 2022, a person in the western state of Colorado tested positive for bird flu after being close to chickens and helping to kill birds. The bird flu has spread to 11 groups of dairy cows in Texas, Kansas, Michigan, and New Mexico, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The business said it was working with all levels of the government and other business groups to "lower the risks of future outbreaks." Companies say there is no known risk of bird flu with eggs, and they have not had to cancel any.
The news came a day after Texas health officials said that someone who had worked on a dairy farm with bird flu-infected cows tested positive for the virus. The federal government in the United States said this is the first time someone got bird flu from dairy cows.
In 2022, a person in the western state of Colorado tested positive for bird flu after being close to chickens and helping to kill birds. The bird flu has spread to 11 groups of dairy cows in Texas, Kansas, Michigan, and New Mexico, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
