Bird flu has been found in 44 of New York’s 62 counties and has forced farmers to cull more than 150 million birds around the country. That’s according to Senator Kirsten Gillibrand who is calling on the Trump administration to take action to develop and approve a vaccine for poultry and contain the outbreak.
Gillibrand said a new strain of the disease has been found in cattle and its spread would be devastating for New York’s dairy farmers. She added this could pose a serious threat to human health if the strain continues to evolve.
Gillibrand claims the White House has stopped released data on the spread of bird flu and has fired federal workers responsible for tracking cases and managing the federal response. She is calling on the administration to take action to address the outbreak and support the development and approval of a vaccine to bring down egg prices, reduce the need to depopulate flocks, and safeguard public health.
“Avian flu is decimating bird populations, and the subsequent shortage of egg-laying hens is making eggs unaffordable for working New Yorkers,” said Senator Gillibrand. “President Trump must act now to contain this outbreak. I am urging him to do everything in his power to prioritize the development of a vaccine to inoculate chickens against avian flu and fulfill his campaign promise to bring down grocery prices. I am alarmed that the administration limited the data shared with the scientific community and am urging full transparency. This deadly disease requires a whole of government response to be enacted immediately.”
The full text of Senator Gillibrand’s letter to leadership at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Office of the United States Trade Representative is available here
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