New bird flu cases probable in Iowa, millions of birds affected

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

US | Mon Apr 27, 2015 7:12pm EDT

New bird flu cases probable in Iowa, millions of birds affected

CHICAGO | BY P.J. HUFFSTUTTER

(Reuters) - Initial tests have found five probable new cases of the rapidly spreading avian influenza on commercial poultry sites in Iowa, affecting more than 6 million birds, the state's agriculture department and the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Monday.

Additional tests are pending to confirm the highly pathogenic H5N2, agency officials said. Positive results would push the outbreak's national tally to more than 15.1 million affected birds from commercial flocks in 13 states.

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"This is a big deal," Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey said during a conference call on Monday. "Going forward, the question is are we done? Or does this mean more birds as we go forward."

Iowa state officials have quarantined the five farm sites, Northey said. Positive test results would mean that more than 9.5 million birds in Iowa have been affected by the virus.

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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/04/27/us-health-birdflu-usa-iowa-idUSKBN0NI24D20150427

[HereSince1628]

1. A million birds here, a million birds there...if this keeps up it's gonna be a lot of birds!

it hit turkeys and chickens in WI.. the only treatment is killing all the birds on the farms it occurs.

They've more or less blamed it on spring migrants here...migration is nearing it's end...maybe the outbreaks will stop--until next year.

[dembotoz]

2. GOP will blame obamacare

First beef gets expensive now this