By STEVE KARNOWSKI, Associated Press

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief veterinary officer says the country's poultry industry may have to live with a deadly bird flu strain for several years and it could be devastating.

Dr. John Clifford spoke Thursday in Minnesota, the state hit hardest by outbreaks that led to the deaths of over 2 million turkeys and chickens in the Midwest since early March.

Clifford says that while new cases should drop close to zero once the weather warms up and kills off the H5N2 virus, there's "very likely" to be a resurgence this fall when the wild waterfowl that are natural carriers of avian influenza fly south for the winter.

He says government and industry need to use the lull to learn and prepare.

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