North Raleigh Today

The bird flu has much of the country in its grip, and North Carolina is no exception. It is so widespread in the Tarheel State that officials have put the kibosh on all agricultural events that typically feature fowl.

"This includes all exhibitions, farm tours, shows, sales, flea markets, auction markets, swaps and meets pertaining to poultry and feathered fowl in North Carolina,” State Veterinarian Mike Martin told WRAL.com. “These activities are suspended until further notice.” 

The news affects the purchase and sale of live birds, not foodstuff. Heather Overton, spokeswoman for the North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, assured people that it is still OK to eat poultry. “Chicken at the grocery store is fine,” she told WRAL.

Expect to pay more for it, though, NPR said, reporting that the average price of chicken is $3.93 per pound, up from $3.14 a week ago. 

NPR reports that the 2022 strain of the avian flu has already killed about 23 million birds, making it the worst outbreak since 2015, when 50 million birds died.

People shouldn’t worry about contracting the virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says no human case of bird flu has ever been reported in the U.S. 

That said, take care to make sure your chicken or turkey reaches an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees, the CDC recommends. ”The department also said this highly pathogenic avian influenza virus is considered low risk to people and that there are no reports of this strain infecting a person. All properly cooked poultry products are safe to consume,” WRAL said. 

Martin advised those who keep live birds to take care so the spread of the virus can be contained.

"Poultry owners across the state need to practice strict biosecurity,” he said.  “This includes keeping flocks indoors without access to outside and reporting sick birds to your local veterinarian, the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Veterinary Division, 919-707-3250, or the N.C. Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory System, 919-733-3986.”