Mississippi

New strain of bird flu wipes out Mississippi poultry farm

Published

1 year ago

March 19, 2025

New strain of bird flu wipes out Mississippi poultry farm

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

A new strain of a highly pathogenic bird flu known as H7N9 has surfaced at a poultry farm in Mississippi where chickens are raised for breeding.

The finding of the new strain came as researchers separately reported a potentially positive development: Exposure to human seasonal flu may confer some immunity to H5N1 bird flu.

The new strain found in Noxubee County, Miss., was confirmed March 12 and all of the roughly 46,000 birds either died or were euthanized after the infection spread, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal Plant Health Inspection Service and Mississippi’s Board of Animal Health. None of the birds entered the food supply.

Authorities didn’t say how the birds were infected, although federal wildlife agents had been identifying low-pathogenic versions of the H7N9 virus for several years in wild birds. It is possible that the version found in the chickens is circulating in wild birds, but most researchers think it probably acquired its deadly attributes once it got into the Noxubee chicken operation.

If that’s the case, “my money is on a one-and-done, perhaps with some local spread,” said Richard Webby, an infectious disease expert at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn.

Webby said most bird flu outbreaks follow that pattern: A low-pathogenic version is introduced to commercial poultry, and it becomes highly pathogenic once inside.

The introduction of H5N1—the bird flu virus that’s been infecting dairy cows, commercial poultry, pet cats, wild animals and wild birds since March 2024—into poultry and livestock populations was a notable exception to this trend: It was already circulating among wild birds and animals as a highly pathogenic virus.

John Korslund, a veterinarian and former USDA researcher, agreed with Webby and noted that the operation housed breeder broilers: chickens that are grown and maintained for breeding purposes, not for their meat.

This is significant because breeders live for months, if not years.

If a low-pathogenic virus “happens to get into a broiler meat flock, the birds don’t get sick and they go on to slaughter,” he said. But when a breeder flock picks up that virus, “the virus can replicate for weeks … this may well be what happened in Mississippi.”

However, according to USDA rules, routine and periodic testing of breeder birds for low-pathogenic avian influenza is required. In 2017, an outbreak of H7N9 occurred along the Mississippi flyway, probably starting in late February, but reported only in March. A summary report of the outbreak suggested the virus was introduced via wild birds.

As suspected in this case, it is believed it started as “low path” and only became “high path” once it got into commercial operation.

Nevertheless, experts said, if they are wrong and a highly pathogenic virus is circulating in wild birds, it’ll start popping up in other states and sites too.

“Time will tell how nasty it gets this time,” Korslund said.

The key to preventing these kinds of outbreaks—or at least getting ahead of them—is wildlife surveillance, the experts said.

Agencies such as the USDA, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Geological Survey’s Wildlife Health Center, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have divisions that are tasked with sampling wild birds and other animals for infectious diseases. The information they gather is then used by agriculture and public health officials to determine where and when to bolster biosecurity, or to keep a lookout.

Without that information, said Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at the University of Saskatchewan’s Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization in Canada: “We’re flying blind.”

In the positive news that came out this week, a team of international researchers found that ferrets exposed to a common seasonal human flu—H1N1—before being exposed to H5N1, acquire some immunity from the seasonal flu.

Ferrets that weren’t exposed to the seasonal flu before being infected with H5N1 had high levels of the virus in their respiratory tissues, as well as detectable virus in their hearts, spleen, liver and intestines.

In contrast, those that had been exposed to the seasonal flu beforehand had virus only in the respiratory tract—and at pretty low levels.

“The biggest take-home message of our data is that prior human seasonal virus infection can provide some level of protection against the lethality of bird flu,” said Seema Lakdawala, a microbiologist at Emory University in Atlanta and one of the study’s researchers.

Webby, the St. Jude researcher, said the work supports other research that has looked at the potential protectiveness of prior exposure to flu viruses.

“It is for sure playing some role in modulating H5N1 disease in humans,” he said, but was unlikely the only factor. “After all, many people have severe seasonal H1N1 infections each year despite lots of immunity to the virus from previous H1N1 exposures.”

But the finding may help explain why the virus has recently been associated with generally mild disease in people who have been infected. Seventy people in the U.S. have been infected since March 2024, and one person has died. (Four people, including the Louisiana patient who died, have been hospitalized).

Before last year, the virus was thought to have killed roughly 50% of those infected.

Rasmussen said the worry now is that if H5N1 mutates to become transmissible between people, it’ll be young children as well as the old and compromised who are likely to be most affected. Children younger than 5 are less likely to have been exposed to seasonal human influenza viruses than school-aged children and adults—potentially making them more susceptible to the harms of a virus such as H5N1.

In addition, she said, the bird flu viruses circulating in birds and livestock “as far as we know, can’t transmit easily between people. But, if there’s reassortment, then who knows? We don’t know what kind of residual population-level immunity we would have” from a virus such as that.

How seasonal flu vaccines could affect this protection isn’t clear.

“Seasonal vaccines will not provide the same diversity of immune response as natural infection and are unlikely to provide the same level of protection,” said Lakdawala, who is testing this issue in the lab.

2025 Los Angeles Times. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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New strain of bird flu wipes out Mississippi poultry farm (2025, March 19)
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Mississippi

Mississippi Lottery Mississippi Match 5, Cash 3 results for June 30, 2026

Published

9 hours ago

July 1, 2026

Press Room

Mississippi Lottery Mississippi Match 5, Cash 3 results for June 30, 2026

The Mississippi Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at June 30, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Mississippi Match 5 numbers from June 30 drawing

02-11-17-29-30

Check Mississippi Match 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 3 numbers from June 30 drawing

Midday: 9-2-2, FB: 6

Evening: 0-0-8, FB: 8

Check Cash 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 4 numbers from June 30 drawing

Midday: 4-3-6-6, FB: 6

Evening: 7-6-5-5, FB: 8

Check Cash 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash Pop numbers from June 30 drawing

Midday: 07

Evening: 02

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Story continues below gallery.

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

Winnings of $599 or less can be claimed at any authorized Mississippi Lottery retailer.

Prizes between $600 and $99,999, may be claimed at the Mississippi Lottery Headquarters or by mail. Mississippi Lottery Winner Claim form, proper identification (ID) and the original ticket must be provided for all claims of $600 or more. If mailing, send required documentation to:

Mississippi Lottery Corporation

P.O. Box 321462

Flowood, MS

39232

If your prize is $100,000 or more, the claim must be made in person at the Mississippi Lottery headquarters. Please bring identification, such as a government-issued photo ID and a Social Security card to verify your identity. Winners of large prizes may also have the option of setting up electronic funds transfer (EFT) for direct deposits into a bank account.

Mississippi Lottery Headquarters

1080 River Oaks Drive, Bldg. B-100

Flowood, MS

39232

Mississippi Lottery prizes must be claimed within 180 days of the drawing date. For detailed instructions and necessary forms, please visit the Mississippi Lottery claim page.

When are the Mississippi Lottery drawings held?

Cash 3: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).
Cash 4: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).
Match 5: Daily at 9:30 p.m. CT.
Cash Pop: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Mississippi editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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Mississippi

Amy Carruth named director of Mississippi State Hospital – SuperTalk Mississippi

Published

19 hours ago

June 30, 2026

Press Room

Amy Carruth named director of Mississippi State Hospital – SuperTalk Mississippi

Mississippi State Hospital now has a new director.

Following the retirement of 36-year veteran administrator James “Bo” Chastain, the behavioral health facility has announced Brandon native Amy Carruth as its director. Carruth was hired from within after having spent the last 14 years in several key roles, including deputy hospital administrator and director of quality assurance.

Throughout her tenure, she has led policy development, strategic planning, and organization-wide quality improvement initiatives, helping strengthen operations and support high-quality patient care across the hospital.

Recognized for her expertise in Joint Commission standards, Carruth has guided Mississippi State Hospital through multiple accreditation surveys while leading continuous improvement efforts across the organization. She has also helped modernize organizational workflows, implement evidence-based quality improvement practices, and strengthen accountability through data-informed decision-making, officials say.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Carruth coordinated infection prevention efforts, implementing evolving safety standards, developing operational procedures and supporting the rollout of employee vaccinations. Her leadership helped position the hospital to continue delivering care while adapting to unprecedented challenges.

In addition to her administrative responsibilities, Carruth has served as the designated institutional official for the medical center’s psychiatry residency program, overseeing graduate medical education and supporting the development of future psychiatrists.

Before joining Mississippi State Hospital in 2012, Carruth served in leadership positions with the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, the Mississippi Public Employees’ Retirement System, and the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, where she gained extensive experience in public administration, organizational leadership, and strategic planning.

“At the core of Mississippi State Hospital’s mission is the belief that every person served here deserves compassionate, high-quality care,” Carruth said. “I’m proud to be a part of this agency and our mission, and I look forward to continuing the legacy of providing hope, safety and recovery to Mississippians in need.”

Mississippi State Hospital a publicly funded behavioral health facility operated under the direction of the Mississippi Department of Mental Health. It is located on 350 acres in Rankin County near Pearl and Brandon, and is colloquially known as Whitfield.

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Mississippi

Bobby Harrison: Mississippi Democrats hope they are not saying ‘if’ again after midterm elections

Published

1 day ago

June 30, 2026

Press Room

Bobby Harrison: Mississippi Democrats hope they are not saying ‘if’ again after midterm elections

“If” has often been the refrain for many Mississippi Democrats after losing statewide elections, as they have done with regularity since 2003.

“If we only had a candidate who could energize true Democrats to the polls, we could win those statewide elections,” is a paraphrase of the full refrain.

That “if” has to be in the back of Lowndes County District Attorney Scott Colom’s mind as the Democrat campaigns to upend incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in the November midterm election.

In short, what Colom has to ponder is some people’s belief that a lot of Mississippians support many of the principles of national Democrats but are not voting because Mississippi candidates generally avoid those issues or campaign with a more conservative bent.

Colom’s already herculean task is made even more difficult by the fact that independent Ty Pinkins, a former Democrat, is also in the race and could possibly siphon votes from him.

Colom, obviously, needs every Democratic vote in his bid to upset Hyde-Smith and become the first Democratic senator from Mississippi since the 1980s and the first Black Mississippi senator since the 1800s.

Recent Democratic campaigns

Former Attorney General Jim Hood, the last Mississippi Democrat to win a statewide election, was accused of not embracing his party as he campaigned with his hunting dog, rifle and pickup truck in his 2019 loss to Republican Tate Reeves in the governor’s race.

After the 2023 election, former Northern District Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley faced much of the same criticism after his unsuccessful attempt to defeat Reeves. Most would concede that Presley ran closer to the national Democratic Party than did Hood.

The results, though, were close to the same.

In his 2020 campaign against Hyde-Smith, former U.S. Rep. Mike Espy came closer to running as a national Democrat than both Presley and Hood. For that effort, Espy garnered more votes than any Democrat in a statewide campaign since Bill Waller in his victorious 1971 gubernatorial race.

But Espy garnered a lower percentage of votes in a higher-turnout election than did Hood or Moore.

In 2019, Reeves defeated Hood 52% to 47%, or by a little more than 45,000 votes. In a lower-turnout election four years later, Reeves beat Presley 51% to 48%, or by fewer than 27,000 votes.

In the 2020 Senate election, Hyde-Smith won 54% to 44%, or by fewer than 131,000 votes in the highest turnout election in the state’s history. Remember, Espy garnered more votes than any Democrat since Waller in the 1971 gubernatorial election.

What the numbers mean for midterm election

Based on the numbers, can the argument be confirmed that some Mississippians are sitting at home on election day who could sway the election to a Democrat if they could be inspired to go to the polls?

In considering that question, it is important to keep in mind that Mississippi is generally near the bottom each election cycle in terms of voter participation.

According to the University of Florida Election Lab, nationally 66.4% of eligible voters cast a ballot in 2020. That year 60.6% of eligible Mississippians did so.

If Mississippians had equaled that national participation in 2020, an additional 126,500 people would have voted.

If that had occurred and all the additional voters had cast Espy ballots, which of course would not have happened, he still would have lost to Hyde-Smith by about 5,000 votes.

But that was a presidential election, and by happenstance an election that set both a national and Mississippi record for the number of voters. A midterm election, such as the upcoming Colom vs. Hyde-Smith contest, is a different story. The turnout will be much lower – perhaps closer to a Mississippi gubernatorial turnout.

In that instance, new voters perhaps could make a difference for Colom if – there is that word again – he could equal Presley’s or even Hood’s performance.

Colom, though, must walk that fine line of attracting those mysterious hard-to-find Mississippi progressives while not scaring away moderate voters who might be considering him in the current political environment where Trump and the Republicans have lost some of their luster nationally and perhaps even in true-red Mississippi.

If – if – Colom could accomplish those goals, perhaps he could give Mississippi Democrats something to cheer about for the first time in a long time.

Bobby Harrison, Mississippi Today’s senior capitol reporter, covers politics, government and the Mississippi State Legislature. He can be reached at [email protected]

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