CT Farms, Poultry Owners Urged to Monitor Birds for Avian Influenza Signs

The Department of Agriculture is advising all Connecticut poultry owners to closely monitor their birds for signs of an avian influenza virus that so far has led to the disposal of more than 7 million chickens and turkeys in 14 Western and Midwestern states, according to a press release from Steve Jensen of the CT Dept. of Agriculture.

“There have been no confirmed cases of the highly pathogenic H5 virus in the Northeast,” he said. “But there is a potential for it to arrive here via wild birds, especially waterfowl, that are known to have spread the highly-contagious disease to domestic flocks in other states.”

Clinical signs in birds include lethargy, respiratory distress, facial swelling, decreased egg production and sudden death without clinical signs.

Agriculture Commissioner Steven K. Reviczky urges anyone who notices these signs to contact the department, which offers free necropsy for birds suspected of dying from the virus.

Suspected cases of the virus may be reported to the USDA’s toll-free number at 1-866-536-7593.

How to Protect Birds

“Everyone has to be vigilant,” Reviczky said. “We very much want to stress that poultry owners need to employ bio-security measures for their birds.”

Foremost among those measures is keeping domestic birds away from wild ones.

Owners should take appropriate steps including closing holes in coops, installing bird netting and preventing the spread of the virus through manure, equipment, vehicles, egg flats, crates, and people whose clothing or shoes have come in contact with the virus.

State Veterinarian Dr. Mary J. Lis has been participating in regular conference calls with the USDA and state veterinarians in the affected regions.

Wild Birds Help Spread the Virus

“We’re dealing with a virus that came in on wild birds moving out of their winter nesting area and migrating back to their home territory,” she said. “If it enters the Atlantic Flyway migratory path, we potentially could see it here during the fall migration.”

The virus is believed to have originated in the Asian Flyway, and was first detected in the U.S. last December in California.The USDA has confirmed cases in the Pacific, Central, and Mississippi flyways, among both backyard and commercial poultry flocks.

No human cases of the H5 virus have been detected in the U.S., Canada, or internationally, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers the risk to people and the food system to be low.

The states affected so far are Arkansas, California, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota. Oregon, South Dakota, Washington and Wisconsin.

How Birds Are Monitored in CT

The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is responsible for monitoring the wild bird population.

Domestic poultry, estimated to exceed five million in Connecticut, are monitored by the agriculture department in a number of ways.

All poultry and hatching eggs imported into the state must have credentials ensuring that they are disease-free and meet other health standards.

Large commercial poultry or egg-production operations are inspected and birds tested whenever flocks are moved.

A representative sample of chicks at those operations are individually tested when they are very young, and again when they mature into 16-week-old pullets being moved to the laying house.

The chickens are tested again when they are no longer producing eggs and being sold for other purposes. Poultry auctions and live markets are inspected quarterly, and some may be tested monthly. Domestic birds being entered into agricultural fairs or exhibitions also are required to be tested, although that is done upon invitation of the owner.

Any poultry owner seeking to participate in the free quarterly surveillance program should contact the agriculture department at 860-713-2504.

Avian Influenza Fact Sheet

What Is AI?
Avian influenza viruses can infect chickens, turkeys, pheasants, quail, ducks, geese and guinea fowl, as well as a wide variety of other birds.

Migratory waterfowl have proved to be a natural reservoir for the less infectious strains of the disease known as low pathogenicity avian influenza.

AI viruses can be classified into low pathogenicity (LPAI) and high pathogenicity (HPAI) based on the severity of the illness they cause.

HPAI is an extremely infectious and fatal form of the disease that, once established, can spread rapidly from flock to flock.

However, some LPAI virus strains are capable of mutating under field conditions into HPAI viruses.

What Are the Signs?
The clinical signs of birds affected with all forms of AI may show one or more of the following:

• Sudden death without clinical signs
• Lack of energy and appetite
• Decreased egg production
• Soft-shelled or misshapen eggs
• Swelling of the head, eyelids, comb, wattles, and hocks
• Purple discoloration of the wattles, combs, and legs
• Nasal discharge, coughing, sneezing
• Diarrhea
• Lack of coordination

How Is AI Spread?
Exposure of poultry to migratory waterfowl and the international movement of poultry, poultry equipment, and people pose risks for introducing AI into poultry.

Once introduced, the disease can be spread from bird to bird by direct contact.

AI viruses can also be spread by manure, equipment, vehicles, egg flats, crates, and people whose clothing or shoes have come in contact with the virus.

AI viruses can remain viable at moderate temperatures for long periods in the environment and can survive indefinitely in frozen material.

A list of meat producers in Connecticut is available on the Dept. of Agriculture website. For more information on the avian flu, visit the USDA website.

Photo by mscaprikell, via flickr creative commons