Lethal poultry virus present in Fayette Co. flock, officers say
LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – A case of hen flu has been detected in a flock of yard birds in Fayette County, in keeping with federal and state authorities.
Kentucky State Veterinarian Dr. Katie Flynn mentioned america Division of Agriculture (USDA) Nationwide Veterinary Providers Laboratory confirmed the presence of extremely pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in samples. taken from a hen submitted on website.
“The Kentucky Division of Agriculture and the Workplace of the State Veterinarian are working alongside federal and state animal well being officers to comprise this incident of avian influenza,” the commissioner mentioned. Agriculture, Ryan Quarles. “Chicken producers throughout the state would do effectively to take the mandatory precautions to guard their flocks as instances of hen flu have began to look once more throughout the nation. We encourage everybody to go to kyagr.com/HPAI for added data and updates as they arrive. Defending the well being of livestock and poultry within the Commonwealth is a prime precedence of the Kentucky Division of Agriculture.
The state had two earlier instances of the lethal virus in February when birds from industrial poultry farms in Fulton and Webster counties examined constructive for the virus. The websites have been quarantined and cleaned whereas surveillance across the premises was carried out.
Officers say no additional detections of the virus have been recognized past the initially contaminated premises in these counties. The websites have been launched from quarantine and declared virus-free in Might. The latest case is unrelated to the February incidents.
Extremely Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) is thought to be deadly to home chickens and turkeys.
The Kentucky Division of Agriculture (KDA) has launched an investigation after notification by the College of Kentucky Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory of a hen testing constructive for avian influenza.
“Much like the measures taken in February, we’re working diligently to forestall this virus from spreading to different poultry farms,” Dr Flynn mentioned. “We have now activated our avian flu response plan and are in lively communication with our state, federal and industrial companions. We encourage events to enroll to obtain essential updates at kyagr.com/HPAI. »
Avian flu doesn’t pose a threat to meals security; poultry and eggs are suitable for eating when dealt with and cooked correctly. There is no such thing as a threat to the meals provide, however birds and eggs from contaminated flocks is not going to enter the meals system.
State officers have quarantined the affected premises and established a 10-kilometer surveillance zone across the property to find out if there are any additional detections.
The virus is carried by free-flying waterfowl comparable to geese, geese and shorebirds. Home birds can turn into contaminated when a wild hen enters their holding or deposits its droppings in an space near home flocks.
Anybody concerned in poultry manufacturing, from a small yard to a big industrial producer, ought to assessment their biosecurity actions to make sure the well being of their birds. APHIS has biosecurity supplies together with movies, checklists and a toolkit obtainable by means of its Defend The Flock program.
Along with training good biosecurity, all hen homeowners ought to keep away from contact between their birds and wild birds. Kentucky hen homeowners ought to report sick birds or uncommon hen deaths to state and federal authorities, by means of the USDA toll-free quantity at 1-866-536-7593.
Further data on biosecurity for yard flocks may be discovered at http://healthybirds.aphis.usda.gov.
Kentucky’s poultry business ranks seventh within the nation for broiler manufacturing. In 2020, Kentucky’s manufacturing from boilers and eggs had an financial affect of $856 million.
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