Bird flu cases revive fear of repeat of major 2015 outbreak

The detection of a highly pathogenic strain of bird flu at a Tennessee chicken farm has Midwest poultry farmers tightening procedures in an attempt to prevent an outbreak like the one in 2015 that required the destruction of millions of birds and cost at least $3 billion.

Milder forms of have also been found in Wisconsin and at another farm in Tennessee, though no further cases have been reported in the U.S. so far.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Sunday that a highly pathogenic form of bird flu was confirmed at a Tennessee chicken farm that supplies Tyson Foods. Officials quickly moved to kill the entire flock to prevent the virus from spreading.

Producers have stepped up biosecurity in response.

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Citation: Bird flu cases revive fear of repeat of major 2015 outbreak (2017, March 9) retrieved 24 April 2024 from https://phys.org/news/2017-03-bird-flu-cases-revive-major.html
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Bird flu found at Tyson Foods chicken supplier

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