Which description best summarizes the Midwest HPAI outbreak impact?

• A. It affected only commercial farms
• B. Backyard flocks were unaffected
• C. There was no human health risk
• D. It caused widespread depopulation and economic impact across multiple sectors

Answer: (D)

The outbreak’s impact was broad and system-wide, not limited to a single type of operation. Mass depopulation to stop the spread touched both large commercial farms and backyard flocks, and the economic ripple extended across multiple sectors—egg and poultry meat production, processing, distribution, exports, feed and equipment suppliers, transport, and labor. In short, it caused widespread culling and substantial economic losses across the entire poultry value chain. While backyard flocks were affected and there was some human exposure risk, the overall picture is best captured by a broad, multi-sector impact driven by depopulation, not by a narrow or isolated effect.