OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The Agriculture Department is scrambling to rehire several workers who were involved in the government’s response to the ongoing bird flu outbreak that has devastated egg and poultry farms over the past three years.

The USDA says "several" staffers working on the bird flu response were terminated over the weekend, and "we are working to swiftly rectify the situation and rescind those letters."

Firings of USDA employees who coordinated bird flu response were accidental, NBC quotes an agency spokesperson as saying

The study provides growing evidence of the threat it poses even when cats have no direct exposure to sick dairy cows or poultry.

Two cats that belonged to Michigan dairy workers exposed to bird flu died after being infected with the virus last year

A CDC report on bird flu shows potential transmission of bird flu between exposed dairy workers and indoor pet cats. The report also provides a window into the lack of reporting and cooperation at dairy farms and by dairy workers.