The race to uncover bird flu in the Texas Panhandle

A herd of Texas cattle. H5N1, a strain of the bird flu virus detected in the Texas Panhandle, has spread to eight other states. (Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune)

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In early February, dairy farmers in the Texas Panhandle began to notice sick cattle. The buzz soon reached Darren Turley, executive director of the Texas Association of Dairymen: “They said there is something moving from herd to herd.”