OLYMPIA, Wash. — A backyard flock in Thurston County is infected with avian influenza, or bird flu.
This is the ninth outbreak in the last two weeks, according to the state Department of Agriculture. “This virus is super-contagious,” says spokeswoman Amber Betts. “It is passed through the air, it’s passed through water sources, through fecal contamination.”
Protocol requires the entire flock to be euthanized once an infection is confirmed.
Transmission of the virus to people is rare, and there have been no reported cases of humans becoming infected.
