Six farms in Lancaster County have confirmed a highly contagious and deadly strain of avian influenza.
As of Thursday, April 28, a total of 3,825,800 birds — a combination of egg layers, meat birds and pullets — died as a result of the infection or, more likely, were depopulated, a term used to describe the quick euthanization of birds in a flock. Depopulation is believed to be more humane than letting infected birds suffer from the virus, which causes severe illness and is most often fatal.
As of noon Thursday, April 28, the flu had infected 247 domesticated commercial or backyard poultry flocks in 29 states, according to the USDA. All of the confirmed cases so far confirmed in Lancaster County have been at farms in Lancaster County
About 35.52 million birds have died or been destroyed nationwide.
