Bird flu outbreak expands in Washington State; other nations take new steps

Officials in Washington State are investigating a confirmed outbreak of avian influenza in a second area where almost 50 birds died at a backyard flock in Benton City, Wash.  The discovery of the highly pathogenic H5 flu strain in the backyard firms comes nearly a month after the discovery of bird flu in pintail ducks and a wild duck in Oregon and Washington State. Officials at the Washington Dept. of Agriculture are working with a USDA laboratory in Ames, Iowa, to determine which version of the virus affected the latest flock, according to a report in The Capitol Press. Read More