Bird Flu Found in Tyson Breeder Hens

Fifteen thousand chickens have been detroyed and buried at a Tyson Foods contractor in Arkansas after routine, pre-slaughter testing indicated that some of the chickens had antibodies to the H7N3 strain of bird flu. State officials had decided not to announce the infection to the general public because this strain of the virus was relatively mild and did not usually spread to workers; however the Center for Disease Control and Prevention said that an outbreak of H7N3 in British Columbia did sicken two workers there. The two workers recovered with treatment from antiviral medication. The birds at the Tyson contractor did not have active infections, but the company decided to dispose of the birds so that there would be no possibility that they would enter the food chain.

The strain of bird flu virus that continues to be a threat in Asian poultry stocks is H5N1. That strain has killed 240 people worldwide and the medical community worries that it could mutate to a form that spreads easily among humans.

A spokesman for Tyson said the exposed birds all came from a contractor, and as a preventive measure Tyson will increase its inspections for avian flu in the area. Poultry on farms within a 6.2 mile radius of the contractor will be checked for the bird flu strain. According to the state's Livestock and Poultry Commission there is only one farm within that radius.

Tyson and the state were both emphatic that there was absolutely no risk to human beings from the virus. A spokesman for the state commission said that there is a theory as to how the virus spread to the hens: a group of wild Canadian geese had made their home on a pond very close to the facility. It is believed that someone stepped into the goose droppings and carried it into the poultry house. It is the first outbreak of bird flu strain in Arkansas. Arkansas mandates bird flu testing of all flocks bound for slaughter. These birds were tested on Friday in preparation for slaughter on Sunday.

Russia and Japan suspended imports of chicken processed in Arkansas, not only from Tyson but from other producers, as a result of the current exposure. Shares in U.S. chicken companies fell as investors worried that all foreign buyers may ban U.S. chicken. About 16 percent of U.S. chicken is exported and loss of overseas markets could cause a glut on the domestic market.

There have been no official recalls of Tyson products.