The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Monday it had identified instances of deadly bird flu in U.S. flocks, putting the poultry industry on high alert for more widespread outbreaks.
The USDA reported an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza at a commercial chicken farm in Fulton County, Ky., in a flock of about 240,000 birds. A separate outbreak was confirmed in a backyard flock of birds in Fauquier County, Va., the USDA said. State officials quarantined the affected areas, and the birds on the farms will be destroyed to prevent the spread of the disease. Federal and state authorities are surveilling and testing areas around the affected flocks, the USDA said.
