Following our report a few weeks ago warning of a new strain of bird flu in Indiana , the issue appears to be accelerating with the US now on high alert . US vets are testing poultry across the country in a race to uncover infections and try to contain the outbreak ; although the ability to do so is far from certain , given it is a new strain . Similar H7 viruses, which share the same surface proteins, have caused problems in people ranging from mild, flu-like symptoms to serious respiratory illness, Jhung said. A study from the University of Minnesota says farmers in fields near poultry barns may have unwittingly helped spread the disease , which killed nine million birds in Minnesota last year . The Centre for Animal Health and Food Safety says soil in those fields may have been contaminated with droppings from wild birds believed to be a source of the highly pathogenic H5N2 virus ; the virus can survive in cold soil temperatures and tilling could have created airborne particles ; vets are therefore also testing bites from wild birds . Rendering trucks used to dispose of poultry waste are another factor that may have helped spread the disease .
Following our report a few weeks ago warning of a new strain of bird flu in Indiana , the issue appears to be accelerating with the US now on high alert . US vets are testing poultry across the country in a race to uncover infections and try to contain the outbreak ; although the ability to do so is far from certain , given it is a new strain . A study from the University of Minnesota says farmers in fields near poultry barns may have unwittingly helped spread the disease , which killed nine million birds in Minnesota last year . The Centre for Animal Health and Food Safety says soil in those fields may have been contaminated with droppings from wild birds believed to be a source of the highly pathogenic H5N2 virus ; the virus can survive in cold soil temperatures and tilling could have created airborne particles ; vets are therefore also testing bites from wild birds . Rendering trucks used to dispose of poultry waste are another factor that may have helped spread the disease .