Fifth flock of Avian Flu found in Utah

U. S. Department of Agriculture wants poultry owners to be aware of who their birds are acting with Avian Influenza being found in Cache Valley.

TAYLORSVILLE – Tuesday, May 17th Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF) officials confirmed the most recent case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) west of Salt Lake City.

FILE PHOTO: Chickens moved from the brooder to their first time on pasture. Photo by Zoe Schaeffer on Unsplash

That brings the total number of cases in Utah to five. Cache County has the most with three cases, one case in Utah County and one in Salt Lake County.

One week earlier on May 10, Cache County had a third case of HPAI found in a small backyard flock of birds. Officials suspect in both cases the disease was contracted by wild waterfowl on near the property.

“We urge bird owners with flocks of all sizes to take extreme caution with their bird’s habitats,” said Utah State Veterinarian, Dr. Dean Taylor. “The more potential exposure the birds may have to wild and migrating birds, the greater the risk of the flock contracting the disease.”

The Salt Lake City flock experienced high death rates and the owners contacted the state veterinarian’s office immediately. Some of the flock was quarantined and some was depopulated by the state veterinarian’s office to contain the disease.

“Our office is continuing to diligently monitor the cases of HPAI reported in our efforts to contain the disease from spreading,” said Utah State Veterinarian, Dr. Dean Taylor.

UDAF officials urge bird owners in the state to be vigilant watching their birds for signs symptoms as well as following good biosecurity practices.

Symptoms of HPAI manifest itself with high death loss among flocks, nasal discharge, decreased appetite or water consumption, and lack of coordination in birds.

If birds are experiencing any of these symptoms, immediately contact the state veterinarian’s office at [email protected]. Early reporting and action will help to contain the disease.

Bailee Wolstenhume, spokesperson for the UDAF, said the agency is expecting cases of the flu to continue through the migratory season.

HPAI should die down as the migratory slows during the summer,” she said. “In the fall when the migration begins again we are expecting it to pick up again.”

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the recent HPAI detections do not present an immediate public health concern.

There was one case of this strain of HPAI which has been detected in the United States. As a reminder, the proper handling and cooking of all poultry and eggs to an internal temperature of 165˚F is recommended as a general food safety precaution.

Anyone with poultry from the small backyard to the large commercial producer should review their biosecurity activities to assure the health of their birds.

The Avian flu virus started in the east and has slowly made it to the west killing thousands of domestic flocks.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported on May 20 there were 1,190 wild birds detected, 37,952,988 domestic poultry effected with one human case detected.

APHIS has materials about biosecurity, including videos, checklists, and a toolkit available at: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/animal-disease-information/avian/defend-the-flock-program/dtf-resources/dtf-resources.

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