BISMARCK, N.D. – Farmers have been alerted to put additional biosecurity in place against avian flu, the North Dakota agriculture commissioner reported. A backyard flock of chickens was found infected in mid-state Kidder County and been destroyed. Other isolated outbreaks also have occurred in other Upper Midwest states. These are the first confirmed cases in the region in seven years.
Avian flu profile
Avian flu is an airborne respiratory virus that spreads easily among fowl through nasal and eye secretions and also droppings. The virus can spread by wild birds through contact with infected poultry. The remedy is to destroy infected flocks. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said the recently detected infections do not present an immediate human threat.