This article was originally published by Healthbeat. Sign up for its public health newsletters at healthbeat.org/newsletters. As more cases of bird flu emerge across the country, public health leaders in New York City are watching warily -- and making preparations in case the virus becomes a more immediate threat.

The last duck farm on New York's Long Island is facing an uncertain future after a bird flu outbreak forced the culling of nearly 100,000 ducks. The highly contagious H5N1 avian flu, otherwise known as bird flu,