A strain of the highly contagious bird flu has been discovered at a commercial chicken farm in Lincoln County, Tennessee. The presence of H7 avian influenza has been confirmed by the United Stated Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) recently confirmed the first case of H7 bird flu, also known as HPAI, in commercial poultry in 2017. The entire flock of chicken measures 73,500 specimens and it is located near the Mississippi flyway.
The chicken flock experienced increased mortality, prompting health officials to take samples, which were tested at the Kord Animal Health Diagnostic Laboratory. The final confirmation of the results took place at the APHIS National Veterinary Service Laboratories, located in Ames, Iowa. The scientists are working to isolate the virus in order to determine its “N-type”, expected to be revealed within 48 hours.
Currently, APHIS is working with local Department of Agriculture officials to develop a joint incident response. They managed to quarantine both the premises and the birds part of the affected flock. Furthermore, the grounds will be depopulated in order to prevent the further spread of the virus.
Agriculture officials are also making sure that the poultry farm workers from the facility are taking the proper precautions to prevent any illnesses and contain the disease without spreading. Officials reminded concerned people that cooking all poultry eggs at 165-degrees Fahrenheit kills viruses and bacteria.
Current bird flu response plans involve the joint effort of both Federal and State partners to implement additional surveillance and testing programs in the nearby areas. The USDA will make use the AI surveillance program to detect the disease in various commercial poultry facilities, as well as in live bird markets and migratory wild birds.
The bird flu virus strain can travel in wild birds without making them appear sick. Therefore, people should avoid all contact with nearby birds and especially those what look sick or died, be it poultry or wild birds. In the case of accidental contacts, people should wash their hands with soap and water, change their clothing before any other contact with domestic birds.
What do you think about the latest bird flu case in the US? Were your ever affected by such an outbreak?
Image source: Pixabay
Roxanne Briean
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