U.S. poultry producers are increasing safety measures with flocks as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention monitor a "highly pathogenic" strain of bird flu which has already been detected in a turkey flock in Indiana, the U.S. Department of Agriculture warned on Wednesday.
As Reuters reported, disease experts are warning the public that wild birds are likely the cause of the bird flu spread which is said to be a highly lethal form of avian flu spreading across the country.
On Feb. 9 the CDC released a statementthat said while the health agency believes the risk to the public is low, the statement said, "Outbreaks in domestic poultry, in addition to infections in wild birds, may result in increased exposures in some groups of people, particularly poultry workers, for example."
The USDA said in a statement, "Avian influenza does not present an immediate public health concern. No human cases of these avian influenza viruses have been detected in the United States. As a reminder, the proper handling and cooking of poultry and eggs to an internal temperature of 165 ˚F kills bacteria and viruses."
On Monday Feb. 7, an Indiana farmer discovered around 100 dead turkeys on his farm and saw surviving turkeys appearing to be sick, according to the Indy Star, which reported that almost 30,000 turkeys had to be killed to contain the spread of the virus.