Bird flu arrives in Southwest after millions of birds die
(KYMA, KECY/ AP News) - Arizona officials have confirmed the first cases in the southwest of a bird flu that has led to the deaths of 37 million birds from commercial farms in the central and eastern U.S.
The disease was spotted after tests by federal wildlife officials in three wild cormorants that had been found dead in a park in the Phoenix suburb of Scottsdale.
It is a major concern for one of the largest egg producers in the southwest - Hickman Family Farms, which operates four chicken ranches in Arizona, one in California and two in Colorado.
The company has stopped any visits to its farms and doublechecked its biosecurity program, which is designed to prevent its approximately 2 million chickens from being infected.
