Avian Influenza, or the Bird Flu, has been affecting livestock across the nation, and in the last 30 days, there have been five new recorded cases of H5N1, in South Dakota livestock.
The infectious disease has changed in recent years to not only affect poultry but also wild mammals and dairy herds. South Dakota State veterinarian Beth Thompson says the disease could be ruinous for poultry in the state.
”For our farmers, this is significant because it’s a change in the way the virus is moving, and in the species where we’re detecting it, and there’s also a concern when birds or poultry contract the virus, it’s devastating to them,” Thompson said.
Thompson said farmers can take precautions to avoid the bird flu by quarantining any new livestock before introducing them to the herd, keeping a closed herd or flock, and controlling the traffic on their farms.