Southern US state poultry farm found with bird flu

Tennessee, southern US, and federal authorities are investigating a poultry farm in Lincoln County after tests found a strain of bird flu virus.

The Tennessee Agriculture Department said on Monday (May 4) that the strain poses minimal risk to human health and is not the strain associated with human and poultry outbreaks in other countries. Officials said the strain can cause slight illness in poultry.

A preliminary test on May 1 indicated the possibility of bird flu on the farm. Additional testing was completed by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). The farm provides breeding stock for poultry farms and none of the poultry have entered the food supply.

State officials said this is the same strain found on a poultry farm in Giles County last week, but there is no apparent connection.