JACKSON — A chicken flock in Copiah County has tested tested positive for highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza, the Mississippi Board of Animal Health announced Tuesday.
The MBAH said the positive tests came from a commercial broiler chicken flock. Samples from the flock were tested at the Mississippi Veterinary Research & Diagnostic Laboratory, and confirmed at the APHIS National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa.
Avian influenza does not present a food safety risk. Poultry and eggs are safe to eat when handled and cooked properly. There are, however, concerns about the H5N1 virus — commonly called the “bird flu” — mutating and spreading to other livestock and humans…