Poultry at a second chicken farm in Lincoln County, Tenn., have contracted the H7N9 strain of avian influenza, according to a release from the United States Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
Officials first identified the highly pathogenic H7N9 bird flu strain on another chicken farm in Lincoln County, Tenn., earlier this month. That detection marked the first such outbreak among commercial poultry in the U.S. in 2017. Both farms produce poultry for Tyson Foods.
"USDA is working with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture on the joint incident response. State officials quarantined the affected premises, and depopulation has begun," said the USDA in the release. "Federal and State partners will conduct surveillance and testing of commercial and backyard poultry within a 10 kilometer (6.2 mile) radius of the site."
Early symptoms of H7N9 are comparable to those of seasonal flu. However, the virus often progresses into pneumonia. The avian flu strain is one of several watched by the CDC due its potential to cause human outbreaks.
A recent outbreak of avian influenza in China has killed 161 people since October, according to Reuters.
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