Avian flu surveillance of backyard, wild birds commences

With testing of commercial poultry flocks within a ten-mile radius of a farm in Tennessee that was infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza completed, veterinary officials are now checking to see if the virus is present in backyard flocks.

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Bugdog, Freeimages.com
Bugdog, Freeimages.com

With testing of commercial poultry flocks within a ten-mile radius of a farm in Tennessee that was infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza completed, veterinary officials are now checking to see if the virus is present in backyard flocks.

USDA Chief Veterinarian Jack Shere and Tennessee State Veterinarian Charles Hatcher addressed the situation during a conference call hosted by USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) on March 6.

Highly pathogenic H7N9 avian influenza has been detected in a broiler breeder farm in Lincoln County, Tennessee, which affected 73,500 chickens. The birds were being raised for Tyson Foods.

All commercial poultry operations within 10-mile control zone, which stretched into Alabama, are affiliated with Tyson Foods, and surveillance of those facilities was expected to be concluded by the end of March 6, Shere said.

Upon completion of testing those farms, efforts were to shift to backyard flocks within the zone.

Hatcher said his staff has spoken with people affiliated with Tyson Foods, who indicated there were several farms with backyard poultry in the zone. Hatcher said efforts will be made to perform surveillance could be done at all of those farms.

He also said that testing beyond that 10-mile zone could be done as well.

Wild bird surveillance

Shere was asked if wild bird testing would be done as part of the surveillance activities.

Because there is a pond near the infected broiler breeder farm, Shere said testing of wild birds is a valid concern.

Ongoing surveillance of waterfowl continues to be done in the U.S., Shere said, and at the last official count, about 34,000 samples had been taken. Such testing revealed that a wild mallard duck that was hunter-harvested in Montana was contracted H5N2 avian influenza.

Shere added that the government plans to put more funding into wild bird surveillance.

Learn more: 6 useful articles for addressing biosecurity

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