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Bird flu has been found in a mixed flock. Here’s why that matters

In the United States, bird flu continues to spread in different flocks

SHARE Bird flu has been found in a mixed flock. Here’s why that matters
Outbreak bird flu in Stenstrup, Denmark.

Health officials work to contain an outbreak of bird flu in Stenstrup, Denmark, on Tuesday, April 29, 2008. A bird flu outbreak recently occurred at a commercial mixed-species flock in southeastern South Dakota.

Lars Skaaning, Associated Press

A bird flu outbreak recently occurred at a commercial mixed-species flock in southeastern South Dakota, The Associated Press reports.

What happened: The Agriculture Department said recent samples showed that birds in Charles Mix County revealed an outbreak.

  • All the birds at the property were quarantined.
  • Those birds will be culled to stop the spread of disease, per The Associated Press.

Why it matters: This is another case of a bird flu outbreak in the United States. There have been several reported cases of the bird flu in recent months, hitting various farms around the nation.

  • There were reports of highly lethal bird flu outbreaks in Kentucky and Virginia, as I wrote for the Deseret News.
  • Officials confirmed cases of bird flu in Indiana, too, per Reuters.

Yes, but: Health officials have been adamant that the ongoing outbreaks do not pose a direct threat to humans, The Washington Post reported at the end of February.