This story was first published on November 24, 2014
According to a report that has circulated in November every year since 2014, the CDC has recalled millions of Thanksgiving turkeys because of concerns that they may harbour an avian virus.
Supposedly, the virus has recently developed the ability to transfer from birds to humans, an outcome that could have dire consequences for the human population. The report claims that the virus is similar to the 1918 flu virus that killed millions of people.
To support its claims, the story cites a seemingly scientific website called the Wyoming Institute of Technology (WIT). It also features a 24-hour Turkey Safety Hotline number that people who have bought a turkey can call to get more information about the supposed virus threat.
Thankfully, however, the story is utter nonsense. There has been no such turkey recall and the CDC has not issued any statements about an avian virus outbreak among turkeys. And there are no credible reports that support the claims in the story.
The story was originally published on the fake-news website National Report. National Report apparently considers itself satirical although it is certainly not deserving of that label. In fact, the material published on the site is nothing more than drivel disguised as news. Nothing published on the site should be taken seriously.
Furthermore, the Wyoming Institute of Technology is not a real entity but rather another ‘satire’ site used by National Report to attempt to back up its spurious claims. As with National Report itself, nothing published on WIT has any credibility whatsoever.
And, calling the supposed Turkey Safety Hotline actually connects people to the notorious Westboro Baptist Church.
With more and more fake-news sites appearing online, it is wise to verify any ‘news’ items that come your way before you share them with others. Usually, doing a search via a news aggregator such as Google News will quickly reveal if a story has any credence.
Of course, if the turkey recall story was true, mainstream news outlets around the world would have extensively covered it and there would be official government and health organization warnings about the threat.
Example
Millions of Thanksgiving Turkeys Recalled: Is Your Family Safe?
National Report; The CDC has confirmed that millions of turkeys have been recalled due to safety concerns over an avian virus that the birds may be harboring. The virus is related to human influenza virus but was thought to lack the ability to infect humans. However, it appears that the virus has recently developed the ability to move from bird hosts into humans. The results could be disastrous.
Original Source : https://www.hoax-slayer.net/fake-news-story-claims-millions-of-turkeys-recalled-due-to-avian-virus/