Bird flu numbers keep rising in the US

HURON, S.D. (DTN) -- Driving east along rural highways in South Dakota, flocks of snow geese are seen across the skies and taking a break in cornfields. Over the past month, that waterfowl migration has led to a new spike in highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) cases, or bird flu, that has led to larger commercial operations being hit and the depopulation of at least 7.6 million birds. In the last 30 days, there have been 94 confirmed cases of bird flu spread across 26 states, USDA reported. A handful of large egg-laying operations in Iowa and Ohio have driven up the numbers. "The virus has established itself in the wild waterfowl population," said Beth Thompson, South Dakota's state veterinarian. "There are a lot of snow geese and Canadian geese going right over the state of South Dakota and Minnesota right now. There are a lot of other migratory birds traveling in different parts of the country, too. The virus is passing through all of those birds." She added, "This has been ...