The World Economic Forum has ordered US farmers to slaughter millions of healthy chickens as a preventative measure to stop the spread of bird flu.
Crews have already begun the process of killing 4.2 million chickens in Iowa after one case of bird flu was detected at a farm.
Overall, almost 100 million birds have been killed since the alleged outbreak began in 2022, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
AP News reports:Although bird flu has become somewhat common among poultry, its spread to cattle has added to worries about the disease. In May, a second dairy farmworker was diagnosed with bird flu, and the virus was detected in both beef and milk. It has been confirmed on dairy cattle farms in nine states.
Health and agriculture officials have said the risk to the public remains low. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said the meat from a single sickened dairy cow was not allowed to enter the nation’s food supply and beef remains safe to eat.
Workers exposed to infected animals are at a higher risk. The only three human cases confirmed in the United States included two dairy workers and one man working to slaughter infected birds on a poultry farm.