HPAI Detected in Commercial Flock in Union County, Ohio
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) has been detected in a commercial layer flock in Union County, Ohio. The non-negative result was confirmed by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS). The samples were first tested at the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory and confirmed at the APHIS National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa.
HPAI is a highly contagious virus that spreads quickly and can be fatal to flocks and devastating to poultry owners, both commercial and non-commercial. HPAI can infect poultry (such as chickens, turkeys, pheasants, quail, domestic ducks, geese, and guinea fowl) and is carried by free flying waterfowl such as ducks, geese, and shorebirds.
New detections continue to be confirmed this fall in both backyard and commercial cases around the country. This is the first detection in Ohio for 2023. Visit USDA’s Confirmed Detections website to stay up to date on all HPAI confirmed cases.
State officials quarantined the affected premise, and birds on the property will be depopulated to prevent the spread of the disease. Federal and State partners are working jointly on additional surveillance and testing in areas around the affected flocks. Surveillance activities will be conducted in a 20-kilometer zone around the infected premises.
The recent HPAI detection does not present an immediate public health concern, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. No human cases have been detected in the United States. According to USDA, HPAI cannot be transmitted through properly cooked meats or eggs. Products from any HPAI-affected flocks are prohibited from entering the food system. As a reminder, the proper handling and cooking of all poultry and eggs to an internal temperature of 165 ˚F is recommended as a general food safety precaution.
Keep you and your flock safe, please see the trifold for more information!