Alaska identifies first case of H5N2 bird flu

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - The bird flu strain that wiped out millions of turkeys and chickens in the Midwest last year has been found in Alaska for the first time.

State health officials say a positive sample of a highly pathogenic H5N2 strain of avian flu came from a mallard duck. It was among wild bird samples collected during a banding project at a Fairbanks area waterfowl refuge earlier this month.

Alaska identifies first case of H5N2 bird flu