MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries (ADAI) and USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) have confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in a commercial pullet farm in Marshall County, Alabama.
Samples from the flock were tested at the Alabama State Diagnostic Laboratory, part of the National Animal Health Laboratory Network, and confirmed positive at the APHIS National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) in Ames, Iowa.
APHIS is working closely with state animal health officials in Alabama on a joint incident response and action plan. State officials quarantined the affected premises, and all birds on the property (approximately 47,900) were depopulated to prevent the spread of the disease.
All poultry within a 10-kilometer radius (6.2 miles) of the site are being tested and monitored. Currently, no other flocks have experienced an increase in mortality.
Last week, HPAI was also confirmed in a commercial upland gamebird farm in Chilton County. On this premise, all poultry (pheasants, quail, ducks and chukars) will be depopulated by week’s end. A total of 296,500 birds were affected.
Federal and State partners are working on additional surveillance and testing in areas around the affected flocks as part of existing avian influenza response plans. The United States has the strongest AI surveillance program in the world. ADAI and USDA actively monitor for the disease in commercial poultry operations, backyard flocks, live bird markets, and migratory wild bird populations.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, HPAI is considered low risk to human health but is highly contagious to other birds, including commercial and backyard poultry flocks. While the virus is not considered a food safety threat, infected birds do not enter the food supply.
ADAI Commissioner Rick Pate and State Veterinarian Dr. Tony Frazier released the following statement, “It is critical for commercial and backyard poultry operations to remain alert and closely monitor the health of their poultry. The HPAI-infected flock in Marshall County reinforces the need to follow strict biosecurity measures, including keeping birds enclosed without access to wild or other domestic flocks.”
HPAI symptoms include:
• A sudden increase in bird deaths in your flock
• Sneezing, gasping for air, coughing, and nasal discharge
• Watery and green diarrhea
• Lack of energy and poor appetite
• Drop in egg production or soft or thin-shelled, misshaped eggs
• Swelling of the head, eyelids, comb, wattles, and hocks
• Purple discoloration of the wattles, comb, and legs
• Ruffled feathers, listlessness and lethargy
ADAI urges the commercial poultry industry and backyard flock owners to increase biosecurity measures to protect their operations from HPAI.
Biosecurity measures can include:
• Cleaning vehicles and equipment
• Limiting unnecessary visitors
• Sanitizing shoes in clean foot baths
• Changing clothes upon contact with birds and more.
People should avoid contact with sick/dead poultry or wildlife. If contact occurs, wash your hands and change clothing before contacting poultry and wild birds. For information on biosecurity measures, visit http://healthybirds.aphis.usda.gov.
Report sick or dead wild birds to the Alabama Department of Natural Resources and Conservation at 334-242-3469.
Report sick or dead domestic birds and poultry to ADAI’s Poultry Unit at 334-240-6584.
