Health
Health experts raise concern over the disposal of infected poultry birds as avian flu spreads
CDC issues alert over bird flu case
Fox News medical contributor Dr. Marc Siegel on what to know about bird flu and why it is important to not look directly at the solar eclipse without proper glasses
- The CDC’s Principal Deputy Director and other health experts highlighted the importance of wearing protective gear when culling poultry birds infected with avian influenza, or the bird flu virus.
- The CDC said a lack of protective equipment during the disposal of chickens on a Colorado egg farm likely contributed to five bird flu cases among workers, though so far no human or livestock cases have been linked directly to disposal of animals with avian flu.
- Most of the culled birds are composted or buried, but some are taken to landfills.
The spread of bird flu among poultry and dairy farms has heightened some health experts’ concerns that the process of killing and disposing of poultry infected with the virus may pose a risk to humans and livestock.
Recent instances of farms dumping carcasses in landfills and using methods to kill chickens that put workers in close proximity to the virus show how the process of getting rid of infected birds could further spread the disease, according to data obtained by Reuters and interviews with officials and disease experts.
Extreme heat that made it difficult to keep protective equipment on during the asphyxiation by carbon dioxide of chickens on a Colorado egg farm likely contributed to five bird flu cases among workers, the largest cluster of human cases in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention said this week.
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The situation highlights the need for systematic use of protective gear when killing the sick animals, said the CDC’s Principal Deputy Director Nirav Shah on a Tuesday call with reporters about the outbreak.
Workers killing chickens risk inhaling the virus, said Dr. Michael Osterholm, an infectious disease expert at the University of Minnesota, of the process. The workers had mild symptoms including pink eye and respiratory issues.
“Depopulation activities need to clearly focus on protection for these individuals,” he said.
The CDC and other health experts emphasized the importance of workers using proactive equipment when dealing with animals infected with avian influenza after five Colorado poultry farm workers tested positive for the virus. (Reuters/Mike Blake)
So far, there have been no human or livestock cases linked directly to disposal of animals with avian flu.
COLORADO’S BIRD FLU CASE
Bird flu has migrated to nearly every U.S. state over the past 2.5 years. There have been nine cases among poultry and dairy workers since March, including the Colorado poultry workers.
Further bird flu spread among livestock could increase the likelihood of human infections, though the risk to the general public is still low, officials from the CDC have said.
About 95 million chickens, turkeys, and other poultry have been killed and disposed of since February 2022, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data obtained by Reuters showing culling and disposal methods through late June.
Bird flu is fatal in birds and the government requires entire flocks to be culled once the virus is on a farm. The deadliest year was 2022, but nearly as many chickens have been disposed of so far in 2024 as in all of 2023, the data shows.
The sick workers in Colorado, for instance, were killing the birds with mobile gas chamber carts, said Julie Gauthier, an official at USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, on the Tuesday call.
The carts can typically accommodate between a dozen and 50 birds and workers asphyxiate them batch by batch, Gauthier said. A USDA spokesperson said the agency had reviewed the farm’s use of the method as part of its response to the outbreak.
More than 150 of the workers were exposed to infected poultry, 69 displayed symptoms and were tested, and five were positive, said AnneMarie Harper, communications director at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
Most chickens are killed by asphyxiation either with portable chambers like those used in Colorado, or by spraying a firefighting foam on the birds or shutting down ventilation to the chicken barns, the USDA data shows.
A small number are killed with firearms, by cervical dislocation, or other means.
DISPOSING OF ANIMALS INFECTED WITH BIRD FLU
Most of the culled birds are composted, either in chicken houses or on farms, or buried, according to the USDA data. To compost the birds, farmers cover them in material like wood shavings, maintain the compost piles at a high temperature, and stir them occasionally with farm equipment in a process that typically takes several weeks.
Federal and state officials work with farmers to determine the best disposal methods, said John Clifford, a former USDA chief veterinarian, now an advisor for the USA Poultry and Egg Export Council, an industry group.
It is safest to compost on site to avoid moving the carcasses and potentially spreading the virus, said Myah Walker, compliance unit supervisor at the Minnesota Board of Animal Health.
In rarer cases, carcasses are transported to landfills, a process that can meet some federal and state regulations.
Michigan egg producer Herbruck’s Poultry Ranch disposed of nearly 2 million chickens between April 15 and June 8 in private landfills, according to USDA data and Michigan state records of the disposal process obtained by Reuters.
Herbruck’s declined to comment.
Just 3% of all poultry have been disposed of in landfills since 2022, and the Herbruck’s outbreak accounts for about two-thirds of them, the USDA data shows.
Soon after the Herbruck’s disposal, a dairy farm near one of the landfills tested positive for bird flu, alarming area farmers. Even so, whole genome sequencing showed the disposed Herbruck’s carcasses did not cause the infection, said Adeline Hambley, Ottawa County’s health officer.
Wild birds have helped spread the virus between poultry farms and to other species.
Brian Hoefs, the state veterinarian for Minnesota, said he would not recommend disposing of dead poultry in landfills.
“That’s the restaurant for scavengers. It would be a recipe for disaster,” he said.
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A new review suggests that the type of fat you eat may affect your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Saturated fats rich in palmitic acid – the most common saturated fatty acid in U.S. foods – appear to make it harder for the body to respond to insulin.
Meanwhile, monounsaturated fats rich in oleic acid — such as those found in olive oil — may help protect against insulin resistance, the review concluded.
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“Palmitic acid is found in meats, dairy products, cocoa butter and in the form of palm oil in foods, including margarine, cereal, sweets, baked goods and fast foods,” Tanya Freirich, a registered dietitian nutritionist in Charlotte, North Carolina, told Fox News Digital. She was not involved in the review.
“Oleic acid, on the other hand, is in higher concentration in foods like olive oil, canola oil, nuts, sunflower seeds, eggs, olive, avocados and also in meats (beef, chicken, pork), milk, cheese and pasta.”
Saturated fats rich in palmitic acid – the most common saturated fatty acid in U.S. foods – appear to make it harder for the body to respond to insulin. (iStock)
The review, which was published in the journal Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism, was led by researchers from the University of Barcelona and the CIBER Area for Diabetes and Associated Metabolic Diseases (CIBERDEM) in Spain.
The findings suggest that fat quality may be more important than total fat quantity when it comes to metabolic health and diabetes risk.
DIABETES RISK LINKED TO THESE ULTRAPROCESSED FOOD COMBINATIONS
This appears to support the idea that diets rich in monounsaturated fats, such as the Mediterranean diet, may contribute to lower rates of type 2 diabetes.
“Palmitic acid promotes several molecular processes that impair insulin action,” study investigator Dr. Manuel Vázquez-Carrera, from the Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutic Chemistry at the University of Barcelona, told Fox News Digital.
“Palmitic acid is found in meats, dairy products, cocoa butter and in the form of palm oil in foods, including margarine, cereal, sweets, baked goods and fast foods,” a nutritionist said. (iStock)
Too much palmitic acid can cause harmful fat byproducts to build up in the body, which can impair the body’s ability to respond to insulin, he warned. This makes it harder to control blood sugar and increases the risk of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
“It also promotes inflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction and cellular stress responses, which contribute to insulin resistance and β-cell dysfunction,” Vázquez-Carrera added.
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By contrast, oleic acid – a hallmark of the Mediterranean diet – does not have these harmful effects, according to the researcher.
“In fact, oleic acid can counteract many of the detrimental effects triggered by palmitic acid, by promoting the storage of fatty acids in relatively inert triglycerides, preserving mitochondrial function and reducing inflammation,” he said.
“All sources of fat in our diet contain a mix of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids.”
Freirich confirmed that the review is consistent with previous research supporting the use of olive oil in the diet for metabolic benefits.
“Also confirming previous research, the consumption of saturated fats is associated with some negative metabolic changes,” she told Fox News Digital.
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Given the complexity of foods and diets, there is an overlap between foods that contain both types of fatty acids, the nutritionist noted.
“Palmitic acid and oleic acid can both be found in olive oil, baked goods and fast foods, in differing amounts,” she said. “All sources of fat in our diet contain a mix of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids.”
Study limitations
Vázquez-Carrera noted that these findings come from a review of numerous experimental, clinical and epidemiological studies rather than a single clinical trial.
“One important limitation is that much of the mechanistic evidence comes from cell culture and animal studies,” he said.
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“Although these studies provide valuable insights into how specific fatty acids affect insulin signaling, further human intervention studies are needed to confirm the extent to which these mechanisms operate in everyday dietary settings.”
In addition, many of the human studies in the review relied on self-reported dietary intake, which can introduce inaccuracies.
Type 2 diabetes develops over many years, with genetics, lifestyle and environmental factors all playing a role, the researcher noted. (iStock)
“Another challenge is that people consume foods containing complex mixtures of fatty acids and bioactive compounds rather than isolated fatty acids,” Vázquez-Carrera added. “Therefore, it remains difficult to fully disentangle the specific contribution of individual fatty acids in free-living populations.”
Nutritional recommendations
The review’s findings appear to support current dietary recommendations that emphasize replacing part of the saturated fat intake with unsaturated fats, according to Vázquez-Carrera.
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“This means favoring dietary patterns rich in foods such as extra-virgin olive oil, nuts, seeds, legumes, vegetables, fruits and fish, while limiting excessive consumption of foods rich in saturated fats, especially highly processed foods,” he advised.
The review does not suggest that a single nutrient alone determines diabetes risk, the researcher pointed out.
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“Rather, maintaining a healthy body weight, engaging in regular physical activity and following an overall healthy dietary pattern, such as the Mediterranean diet, remain fundamental strategies for preventing insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.”
Type 2 diabetes develops over many years, with genetics, lifestyle and environmental factors all playing a role, Vázquez-Carrera noted.
Improving the quality of dietary fat intake could prove to be an effective strategy for reducing type 2 diabetes risk, the review suggests. (iStock)
“Future research should move beyond simply classifying fats as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ and instead focus on understanding how specific fatty acids, their dietary sources and their interactions within whole dietary patterns affect metabolic health,” he said.
Improving the quality of dietary fat intake could prove to be an effective strategy for reducing type 2 diabetes risk, according to the researcher.
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“A simple takeaway for consumers is to swap out foods high in saturated fat more often with foods rich in heart-healthy fats, like olive oil, nuts and avocados, to better support blood sugar and metabolic health,” advised New Jersey-based registered dietitian Erin Palinski-Wade, who was also not involved in the review.
Anyone at a higher risk for type 2 diabetes should consult a healthcare provider for personalized guidance on nutrition, exercise and other preventive measures, experts say.
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Just four minutes of daily strength exercises can dramatically improve mobility, balance and leg strength in older adults, per new research from the Penn State College of Medicine.
Standard public health guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week. However, the study suggests that fewer than one in five older adults meet the recommended muscle-strengthening guidelines.
The research team designed a home-based program called Functional Activity Strength Training, or FAST-2. They evaluated 97 sedentary participants 65 and older, with an average age of 74.
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Before entering the study, these individuals were averaging just 18 minutes of total physical activity each week.
The older adults were randomly split into two groups, with one group performing the daily exercise routine and the other serving as a control group that received no intervention, according to the study’s press release.
Just four minutes of daily home strength training can significantly improve mobility, balance and leg strength in older adults, according to a Penn State College of Medicine study. (iStock)
Participants performed four basic movements for 30 seconds each, separated by 30-second rest intervals. The entire routine lasted exactly four minutes. The circuit consisted of push-ups, chair stands, two-arm resistance-band rows and stair stepping.
To keep the routine accessible, researchers provided written explanations and simple modifications. For example, participants could perform push-ups against a kitchen counter or wall, or use their hands on their knees for support during chair stands.
Participants were also given four elastic resistance bands and an adjustable step platform.
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“Exercise is actually really complicated, because you have to decide how many repetitions, how far, how many sets, how much rest and how many times per week,” co-author Smita Dandekar, associate professor of pediatrics at Penn State College of Medicine, said in the press release.
“It’s hard work … so if we can make it short, we’re part [of the] way there.”
The program consisted of four basic movements: push-ups, chair stands, resistance-band rows and stair stepping. (iStock)
As the participants grew stronger, they were encouraged to progress to higher levels of difficulty, such as transitioning away from modifications or increasing the height of the stepper.
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After 12 weeks, the results suggested that a tiny dose of regular exercise could yield noticeable physical benefits. In a 30-second chair-stand test, the exercise group performed an average of 4.2 more repetitions than the control group.
“These indicators … give you a sense of whether or not you’re going to be able to be active in the future.”
The adults doing the exercises also shaved 2.3 seconds off their time during a test measuring how they could stand up and sit down five times consecutively. Furthermore, they extended their one-legged balance time by an average of 3.6 seconds.
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The researchers emphasized that these specific measurements are critical medical indicators of an older adult’s future health.
By keeping the routine ultra-short, researchers eliminated common barriers like time constraints and exhaustion, resulting in an exceptionally high 81% workout completion rate. (iStock)
“These indicators predict your future ability to go into a nursing home, your future likelihood of falling and of developing difficulty walking,” noted lead author Christopher Sciamanna, professor of medicine and of public health at Penn State College of Medicine, in the press release.
“They give you a sense of whether or not you’re going to be able to be active in the future.”
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While traditional home exercise programs generally see low engagement, the participants in this study successfully completed their workouts on 81% of the tracked days, according to the researchers.
After 12 weeks, exercising seniors gained the ability to complete an average of four more chair-stand repetitions than those who did not exercise. (iStock)
The study had several noted limitations. As it tracked a relatively small sample size of fewer than 100 individuals over a brief 12-week time frame, it is unknown whether these mobility gains can be sustained long-term.
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Additionally, the researchers did not specify the exact dropout rates or detail how the routine might affect seniors who already relied on assistive devices like walkers or canes.
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Because the final trial results reflected a specific group of participants who met the entry criteria, further investigation is required to determine whether the short routine can safely benefit older adults facing more severe physical limitations or cognitive decline.
The study was published in the journal PLOS One.
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