Bird flu cases jump in US as five workers at Colorado farm test positive

Five cases of bird flu have been identified among workers at a poultry farm in Colorado, doubling the total cases in the US.

The workers fell ill after culling infected chickens at a farm in Weld County. The outbreak at the egg-laying facility is the first in Colorado since February and only the second since December 2022.

The Weld County outbreak is part of a major resurgence of bird flu in the US. Nearly 18 million chickens have been killed so far this year, according to the USDA. The virus is highly contagious and can spread rapidly through poultry flocks.

The five workers who tested positive are being treated with antiviral medication. They are all expected to make a full recovery.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment is working to contain the outbreak and prevent it from spreading to other farms. The agency is also investigating how the workers became infected.