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A second case of avian influenza, also known as the bird flu, has been detected in a backyard flock in southwest Louisiana, the state Department of Agriculture and Forestry reported Thursday.
Earlier this week, the state’s first backyard avian flu case was reported in northwest Louisiana. State officials have not identified the type of birds involved in either case but said it involves a non-commercial, “non-poultry” flock, just like the instance reported Monday.
The agriculture department has not provided the size of either flock, but it did say that the other potentially exposed birds in Northwest Louisiana were “depopulated” to limit spread of the virus. There has also not been a response to a question about what comprises a “non-poultry” flock.
Infectious disease experts say the active strain of avian flu, H5N1, is highly viral, with most of its spread taking place between wild and domestic birds. The flu has also shown up in cattle that have come into contact with infected birds, which can spread the disease through their saliva, mucus and droppings.
So far, 61 people have tested positive for H5NI, and the large majority have not encountered serious symptoms. Louisiana’s first and only human case, diagnosed last week, is considered the first “severe” case, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That unidentified person contracted the flu from a bird, officials said.
None of Louisiana’s poultry or dairy farms have reported avian flu cases. Nationally, the outbreak has affected 865 herds through 16 states this year and nearly 124 million poultry throughout 49 states, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
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