Chicken Bird Flu
A spokesperson from the KDA confirmed that the chickens had highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). Latin Times

The mysterious deaths of some backyard chickens in Kansas were caused by bird flu, officials say.

The Sedgwick County chickens died around Dec. 20 after contracting bird flu, according to the Kansas Department of Agriculture (KDA).

A spokesperson from the KDA confirmed that the chickens had highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). By the time the problem had been determined, over half of roughly 30 chickens had died, reported KSN.com.

The rest of the chickens were euthanized and disposed of with assistance from the KDA in order to prevent the spread of the disease.

While avian influenza is of low risk to humans, it spreads rapidly among birds and can impact owners of backyard flocks. It is largely spread by birds that migrate, such as ducks or geese.

"If you have a backyard flock, we strongly urge you to take steps to prevent exposure to wild birds," Heather Lansdowne, KDA director of communications, said.

The Sedgwick County Zoo announced the temporary closure of two popular attractions on Monday in order to protect against the highly contagious disease.

Last week, the CDC revealed that a patient hospitalized with bird flu in Louisiana had contracted a mutated version of the virus, sparking concerns about mutations of the disease spreading to other humans. This revelation came after an analysis of samples of the virus collected from the patient.

"The analysis identified low-frequency mutations in the hemagglutinin gene of a sample sequenced from the patient, which were not found in virus sequences from poultry samples collected on the patient's property, suggesting the changes emerged in the patient after infection," the CDC said.

"While these low-frequency changes are rare in humans, they have been reported in previous cases of A(H5N1) in other countries and most often during severe disease," the CDC continued.

The Biden administration has stockpiled two different vaccinations against the virus, but does not have plans to distribute them to human patients unless the disease becomes more ubiquitous, reported NBC News.

"They could get [the vaccine] authorized now, and also get the vaccine out to farmworkers and to vulnerable people. I think that's the right approach, because we don't know what the Trump administration is going to be doing around bird flu," Dr. Leana Wen, a former Baltimore health commissioner, told CBS' Face the Nation on Sunday.