Over 400,000 turkeys have been euthanized in South Dakota because of bird flu in the past month, according to the USDA.
With the most recent detection coming a week ago, the state continues to lead the nation in affected birds by a wide margin.
In total, about 420,000 birds have been killed in the state in the last 30 days to mitigate spreading of the disease. According to the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, that’s across eight commercial turkey farms and one backyard flock.
Specifically, the USDA reports there are detections across the eastern part of South Dakota in Beadle, McPherson, Jerauld, Spink and Faulk counties.
North Dakota is also facing outbreaks resulting in over 100,000 birds dead. Minnesota is reporting its first detection in the past month as well.
South Dakota’s State Veterinarian Beth Thompson said USDA is helping with epidemiology reviews for the infected sites.
As for leads on the spread, she said they’ve identified detections in blue wing teal, a popular hunting bird. However, she said they “are not able to ascertain if the teal were infected prior to or after the domestic poultry on site.”
