Federal officials say a deadly strain of bird flu has been confirmed at two more South Dakota farms, condemning about 100,000 more turkeys to destruction and raising the number of affected Midwest farms to 22.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said late Friday that a flock of 53,000 turkeys at a farm in McCook County and 46,000 turkeys at a farm in McPherson County are infected.
South Dakota State Veterinarian Dustin Oedekoven says crews are beginning to kill off both flocks. Surviving birds on affected farms are generally killed to prevent the disease from spreading.
The outbreak has affected nearly 1.2 million birds in the Midwest. Officials stress the risk to public health is low and that there's no danger to the food supply.
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