Federal funding cuts leave environmental science professors uneasy about fighting bird flu

URBANA, Ill. (WAND) — With funding cuts at the federal level, scientists are concerned that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the United States Department of Agriculture may be unable to adequately fight bird flu, which is impacting commercial poultry farms, backyard chicken flocks, and wild bird populations. Many positions have already been lost at both federal agencies.

This could result in affecting the current people working in the industry, as it's already caused a number of layoffs.

"The government has already made cuts to the CDC and the USDA. They've already fired a lot of either new employees who were there less than a year or people who had recently been promoted," explains Joy O'Keefe, an Associate Professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

O'Keefe said that the decision to make these cuts during a season of high virus season is a concerning feat to overcome.

She hopes that the university can still secure federal funding during these difficult times.

"It's really critical that we continue to fund science, which happens in universities and happens in government agencies to be able to develop these solutions. And vaccine trials with animals and with humans take time," said O'Keefe.

According to Dr. Michael Ward, a Professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, one of the biggest concerns about seeing these cuts and layoffs occur is that it could greatly affect the future generations of scientists.

"You're going to have this big gap, and that gap is going to be hard to recover from. We're going to lose information. That could be valuable as the new disease pops up or some other new issue pops up," said Ward.

Both professors hope that things can get better in the future, but for now, they have to keep advocating for funding.

However, in the meantime, poultry owners are still able to take some necessary precautions that can help reduce the risk of their flocks catching the sickness.

If you have smaller flocks, O'Keefe recommended keeping your chickens in a place where you can carefully monitor them in a confined area, and to continue listening to the CDC's and USDA's recommendations for guidance.

"If you've got bird feeders out, definitely keep those distant from your chickens, or even taking down your bird feeders altogether until you feel comfortable with the decreased risk," said O'Keefe.

Waterfowl have been the associated with avian influenza, so if you have a small pond in your backyard where your chickens roam, consider covering it with a small fence to prevent mallards from coming in.

"It's probably only for waterfowl for the next couple of weeks or while migration is going on. And then they'll all be kind of spread out. And so, in theory, the threat will be reduced," said Ward.