Bird Flu

Two top veterinary officials with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and farmers affected by the bird flu outbreak said Tuesday it will take increased surveillance, improved farm security and more money to fight off a possible fall return of the disease that devastated chicken and turkey flocks.

The federal government announced plans Thursday to step up monitoring wild birds for avian influenza this fall to provide an early warning of any resurgence of a disease that devastated poultry farms in the Upper Midwest.

No new bird flu cases have been reported in nearly a week on commercial farms in Minnesota and Iowa, giving government officials, scientists and farmers hope that the worst U.S. outbreak of the bird flu is, though not over, winding down.

Making an omelet or baking a cake is becoming a bit more expensive for shoppers.

One of the nation's largest egg producers says it will destroy 2 million egg-laying hens in Minnesota due to a deadly bird flu virus.

Prices for eggs and turkey meat are rising as an outbreak of bird flu in the Midwest claims an increasing number of chickens and turkeys. Market experts say grocery stores and wholesalers are trying to stock up on eggs, but there's no need to worry about having enough turkeys for Thanksgiving.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- It's been five months since the H5N2 bird flu virus was discovered in the United States, and producers have lost 21 million birds in the Midwest alone. Yet, researchers acknowledge they still know little about a bird flu virus that's endangered turkey and egg-laying chicken populations that supply much of the nation.

Federal officials said Wednesday they're taking steps to create a human vaccine for the bird flu virus that's slammed the Midwest poultry industry, though they still consider the danger to be low and the food supply not at risk.

A bird flu strain that's deadly to poultry has shown up in a commercial turkey flock in South Dakota and a fourth turkey farm in Minnesota, state and federal agencies confirmed Thursday, bringing the total number of outbreaks in the Midwest to nine and leading to the deaths of 314,000 birds since early March.

A strain of bird flu not known to infect humans until recently has caused a fourth death in China, with 11 people now confirmed as having contracted the virus.