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Bird flu found at Foster Farms turkey ranch in California

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LIVINGSTON, Calif. >> Hundreds of turkeys at a Central California ranch are being killed to prevent the spread of a type of avian flu that is not a threat to people but can decimate poultry flocks.

Foster Farms announced on Saturday that routine food safety screening uncovered the flu outbreak at the Stanislaus County ranch, which was quarantined in keeping with U.S. Department of Agriculture policies.

The Modesto Bee reports that federal agriculture officials identified the strain of bird flu virus as H5N8, which health experts says carries almost no health risk for humans.

The same strain infected a backyard flock of chickens and guinea fowl in Southern Oregon last month.

Another type of bird flu, H5N1, can infect humans although it is not easily spread.

Foster Farms says no turkey products have been affected by the outbreak.

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