Avian flu reaches Southwest

Arizona has reported the first cases of avian flu in the Southwest. The Arizona Game and Fish Department announced that federal wildlife officials confirmed the disease in three wild cormorants that had been found dead in a park in Scottsdale. The disease has not been found in any domestic or commercial poultry in the region. Arizona Game and Fish officials have been on the lookout for the disease after incidents in Colorado. Members of the public alerted the department after finding the three juvenile cormorants lying dead after falling out of their nests. The disease has swept through wild bird populations in 41 states, including waterfowl and bald eagles. It has also killed 37 million birds at poultry farms in 19 states.

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