A highly contagious and lethal bird flu strain is spreading across parts of the U.S.

A highly contagious¹ and lethal² bird flu strain is spreading across parts of the U.S.

　　Transcript³

　　Bird flu is an increasing threat to poultry⁴ producers and backyard chicken owners. They're preparing for the worst as wild birds' spring migration⁵ peaks in a few weeks.

　　A MARTINEZ, HOST:

　　A highly contagious and lethal strain of bird flu is spreading across some eastern and central parts of the U.S. Since February, more than 13 million chickens, turkeys and other birds have died of illness or have been culled⁶ to stop the spread. As Iowa Public Radio's Katie Peikes reports, poultry producers and owners of backyard flocks are trying to learn from the past outbreaks to protect their birds.

　　KATIE PEIKES, BYLINE⁷: A deadly bird flu outbreak ripped through U.S. poultry seven years ago. That's when more than 50 million chickens and turkeys died and egg prices soared. Researchers believed migratory⁸ waterfowl, like ducks and geese, started the outbreak. They can carry the virus in their excrement¹⁰ or saliva¹¹.

　　But Iowa State University poultry veterinarian Yuko Sato says it's still not quite clear how the virus got into barn after barn. And it makes it harder to stop it now.

　　YUKO SATO: There's no concluded study on how it's coming in. We can identify some weak links - for example, people tracking it in.

　　PEIKES: Since that outbreak, poultry producers across the country have strengthened their protocols¹² to try to keep diseases away from their birds.

　　(SOUNDBITE OF BIRDS CHIRPING)

　　PEIKES: I met turkey grower Ben Slinger¹³ in the town square of Ellsworth, Iowa. Wild birds are nesting between buildings here. Like most producers, Slinger's limiting visitors on his nearby farms to prevent bird flu from reaching his flocks.

　　BEN SLINGER: It is a very concerning time. We're watching stuff extremely closely.

　　PEIKES: Slinger raises about 850,000 turkeys a year for an Iowa meat processor. The 2015 bird flu outbreak hit him hard. In May of that year, Slinger noticed some of his turkeys were really quiet and not very active. He culled 38,000 turkeys to stop the disease from spreading.

　　SLINGER: We know what the aftermath of that is like, and it is pretty disheartening.

　　PEIKES: So Slinger and his workers now wear dedicated¹⁴ boots into each barn to avoid tracking anything in. They also walk through disinfectant before entering the barns.

　　SLINGER: And we've been in pretty good shape. This year's definitely going to challenge us, it seems like, in the coming weeks as to if we were - if we're truly prepared again for what happened in 2015.

　　PEIKES: Producers aren't the only ones concerned. So are people with backyard flocks. Martin Hutchison of Delmar, Md., raises nearly 50 adult hens, chicks and guinea fowl⁹. And he doesn't let anyone else near them. Whenever he's with his birds, he monitors their health.

　　MARTIN HUTCHISON: I stand there and watch them and look over each individual bird to see if they're active and seem healthy. You know, I look for any kind of change in their behavior.

　　PEIKES: Poultry producers and backyard flock owners are on high alert as ducks and geese migrate north to their breeding grounds. Diann Prosser is a wildlife research biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey and says she's closely watching the migration.

　　DIANN PROSSER: There are a lot of moving targets. We know that this virus has been evolving over the past handful of years, and we keep watching and trying to add additional studies to understand what virus we're dealing¹⁵ with right now.

　　PEIKES: Scientists are especially interested in where wild birds might have close contact with domestic birds. State agriculture officials are advising people to try to keep their flocks away from migrating birds this spring.

　　For NPR News, I'm Katie Peikes in Ames, Iowa.

　　(SOUNDBITE OF AMEBA'S "ILL BE FINE")

1 contagious   

adj.传染性的，有感染力的

参考例句：

• It's a highly contagious infection.这种病极易传染。
• He's got a contagious laugh.他的笑富有感染力。

2 lethal   

adj.致死的；毁灭性的

参考例句：

• A hammer can be a lethal weapon.铁锤可以是致命的武器。
• She took a lethal amount of poison and died.她服了致命剂量的毒药死了。

3 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

4 poultry   

n.家禽，禽肉

参考例句：

• There is not much poultry in the shops. 商店里禽肉不太多。
• What do you feed the poultry on? 你们用什么饲料喂养家禽?

5 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

6 culled   

v.挑选，剔除( cull的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The herd must be culled. 必须有选择地杀掉部分牧畜。 来自辞典例句
• The facts were culled from various sources. 这些事实是从各方收集到的。 来自辞典例句

7 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

8 migratory   

n.候鸟，迁移

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• This does not negate the idea of migratory aptitude.这并没有否定迁移能力这一概念。

9 fowl   

n.家禽，鸡，禽肉

参考例句：

• Fowl is not part of a traditional brunch.禽肉不是传统的早午餐的一部分。
• Since my heart attack,I've eaten more fish and fowl and less red meat.自从我患了心脏病后，我就多吃鱼肉和禽肉，少吃红色肉类。

10 excrement   

n.排泄物，粪便

参考例句：

• The cage smelled of excrement.笼子里粪臭熏人。
• Clothing can also become contaminated with dust,feathers,and excrement.衣着则会受到微尘、羽毛和粪便的污染。

11 saliva   

n.唾液，口水

参考例句：

• He wiped a dribble of saliva from his chin.他擦掉了下巴上的几滴口水。
• Saliva dribbled from the baby's mouth.唾液从婴儿的嘴里流了出来。

12 protocols   

n.礼仪( protocol的名词复数 )；（外交条约的）草案；（数据传递的）协议；科学实验报告（或计划）

参考例句：

• There are also protocols on the testing of nuclear weapons. 也有关于核武器试验的协议。 来自辞典例句
• Hardware components and software design of network transport protocols are separately introduced. 介绍系统硬件组成及网络传输协议的软件设计。 来自互联网

13 slinger   

投石者，吊物工人； 吊索

参考例句：

• I'm Rockwall Slinger and this is Merlin Greeves. ' 我是罗克沃尔。斯林格，这位是默林。格里夫斯。” 来自新概念英语第二册
• Remove the crankshaft oil slinger. 拆去曲轴抛油环。

14 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

15 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。