avian influenza
nounDefinition of avian influenza
: highly variable influenza A of birds caused by any of the subtypes of the causative orthomyxovirus of which some strains have been or may be transmitted to other vertebrates including humans especially after undergoing mutation
— called also avian flu
— compare bird fluExamples of avian influenza in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Scientists from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) are currently investigating the suspected case of H5N6 avian influenza, according to reports. — Erin Hill, PEOPLE.com, "The Queen's Swans May Have Been Killed by Bird Flu Outbreak at Harry and Meghan's Wedding Site," 5 Feb. 2018 Specifically, avian influenza viruses like H7N9 top pandemic threat lists, including the CDC’s Influenza Risk Assessment Tool. — Smithsonian, "The Pandemic Everyone Fears Is Flu In the Wrong Place At the Wrong Time," 30 Jan. 2018 But that has dropped to near zero since January 2015, when China banned U.S. chicken products amid an outbreak of avian influenza in the U.S. Midwest that required tens of millions of birds to be culled from turkey and chicken farms. — Lingling Wei, WSJ, "The U.S. and China Are Hatching a Plan to Reopen Chicken Trade," 17 Jan. 2019 Subsequent avian influenza outbreaks and slower economic growth eroded poultry demand in China, according to Tyson executives. — Jacob Bunge, WSJ, "Tyson Foods CEO Looks to Make International Acquisitions," 7 Nov. 2018 Since the turn of the 21st century, more than a dozen global outbreaks have spread from animals to humans, including Ebola, SARS and avian influenza. — Katherine J. Wu, Smithsonian, "A Never-Before-Seen Virus Has Been Detected in Myanmar’s Bats," 11 July 2018 Specifically, avian influenza viruses like H7N9 top pandemic threat lists, including the CDC’s Influenza Risk Assessment Tool. — Smithsonian, "The Pandemic Everyone Fears Is Flu In the Wrong Place At the Wrong Time," 30 Jan. 2018 Scientists from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) are currently investigating the suspected case of H5N6 avian influenza, according to reports. — Erin Hill, PEOPLE.com, "The Queen's Swans May Have Been Killed by Bird Flu Outbreak at Harry and Meghan's Wedding Site," 5 Feb. 2018 Highly pathogenic avian influenza: Asia, Jan. 24, 2004, to Jan. 7, 2009. — Mark Johnson, jsonline.com, "The hunt for a future killer," 15 Dec. 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'avian influenza.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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