Federal and state authorities report a confirmed case of Highly Infectious Avian Influenza in a Jessamine County backyard poultry flock.
The Kentucky State Veterinarian stated that the National Veterinary Services Laboratories confirmed the presence of bird flu in samples taken from the Jessamine County premises.
This strain of the bird flu is known to be deadly for domesticated chickens and turkeys. On December 6th, representatives at the Jessamine County location notified the Kentucky Department of Agriculture of an increase in mortality in their flock.
Testing at the University of Kentucky Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory and the USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories confirmed the presence of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza.
After the confirmation, the KDA/OSV Division of Emergency Preparedness and Response was deployed to the premises. The affected flock is quarantined, and depopulation started on December 11th.
A 10-kilometer surveillance zone around the infected premises was established. Movement restrictions have been placed on all backyard and commercial facilities in the zone to avoid further spread of the disease.
Officials say avian influenza does not present a food safety risk; poultry and eggs are safe to eat when handled and cooked properly. There is no risk to the food supply, but birds from the flocks will not enter the food system.
Anyone involved with poultry production, from a small backyard to a large commercial producer, should review their biosecurity activities to ensure the health of their birds.
USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has materials about biosecurity, including videos, checklists, and a toolkit available as part of its Defend The Flock program.
In addition to practicing good biosecurity, all bird owners should prevent contact between their birds and wild birds. Kentucky bird owners should report sick birds or unusual bird deaths to state and federal officials through the USDA’s toll-free number at 1-866-536-7593.
Additional information on biosecurity for backyard flocks can be found at http://healthybirds.aphis.usda.gov.
