Animal Health Officials in Texas are euthanizing approximately 1.4 million chickens after a contagious respiratory disease was found in some birds on a farm in Robertson County, Texas. Veterinarians detected the virus, infectious laryngotracheitis, or ILT, and birds from 56 broiler houses are being depopulated in an area that has been isolated to keep the virus from spreading.

The Texas Animal Health Commission says the virus is not a danger to people, even if they eat meat from infected birds. According to a spokesman, about a million of the birds killed would be processed for food, while meat from 400,000 of the euthanized birds would not be distributed.