Birds from out of state are once again welcome within Illinois's borders. They were banned from fairs and exhibitions.
If you noticed the price of eggs going up this summer, there's a reason why. The bird populations in other states were hit by avian flu.
That included wild birds, captive ones and poultry -- commercial and backyard. But no cases were detected in Illinois.
Agriculture officials here reacted by trying to keep visiting birds, like chickens, out of places like the Illinois State Fair.
The squawking over the highly pathogenic flu is over; no cases of the disease have been reported since mid-June, so Illinois lifted its ban.
In a statement, Dept. of Agriculture Director Philip Nelson says his agency will continue to work with the federal government and other states' agriculture departments to monitor the avian disease.
According to census data, Illinois has nearly 4,000 poultry farms that house more than 4.3 million birds.
A health note: This bird flu outbreak is not a high risk to people. No human cases have been detected.
