Avian influenza confirmed in Nebraska chicken flock

Federal officials have confirmed a positive case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Butler County, Nebraska. The virus was found in a flock of commercial broilers.

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Calarasi, Romania - November 5, 2013: A farmer veterinary walks inside a poultry farm in Calarasi on November 5, 2013.
Calarasi, Romania - November 5, 2013: A farmer veterinary walks inside a poultry farm in Calarasi on November 5, 2013.
roibu | BigStock.com

Federal officials have confirmed a positive case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Butler County, Nebraska. The virus was found in a flock of commercial broilers. 

According to the United States Department of Animal Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), there were 570,000 chickens in that flock. 

“Having a second farm in Nebraska confirmed to have HPAI is unfortunate, but not completely unexpected,” Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) director Steve Wellman said in a statement. “NDA will use all the resources at our disposal, in coordination with our federal partners to manage a quick response.”

The previous case in Nebraska, confirmed on March 15, involved 90 backyard mixed species in Merrick County.

The 570,000 infected broilers in Butler Country will be depopulated. In addition, the NDA placed the Butler County farm under quarantine and established a 6.2-mile control zone around the infected Butler County farm, which restricts the moment of birds from farm to farm in the surrounding area.

State vet advises increased biosecurity

The Nebraska state veterinarian Dr. Roger Dudley urged poultry farms in the area to increase biosecurity and observational testing measures and to contact the NDA if a larger than normal death loss occurs. 

Symptoms of HPAI include a decrease in water consumption, lack of energy and appetite, decreased egg production, nasal discharge, sneezing, incoordination and diarrhea. The disease can cause sudden death in birds even if symptoms do not appear.

In addition to Nebraska, HPAI has also been confirmed in South Dakota, Maryland, Delaware, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Wisconsin and Iowa. It has also appeared in a commercial flock in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.

To learn more about HPAI cases in North American commercial poultry flocks, see an interactive map on WATTPoultry.com.

Read our ongoing coverage of the global avian influenza outbreak.

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