Avian Flu Case Puts NJ Poultry Owners On Notice

NORTH JERSEY — A duck and chickens in a Pennsylvania backyard flock caught the avian flu, impacting some poultry owners in New Jersey, officials announced Friday.

Pennsylvania officials confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza in a noncommercial, 90-bird flock in Upper Mount Bethel Township, which borders New Jersey's Warren County. The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture quarantined the farm and established a "control area" — the 10-kilometer perimeter around the farm.

Poultry owners in control areas are subject to testing requirements and must have permits to transport products. Anyone within 3 kilometers of the farm cannot transport any poultry or egg products.

The control area includes part of New Jersey. Pennsylvania and New Jersey agricultural officials began working to identify and notify other backyard bird owners and poultry and egg producers in the area of their responsibilities.

Human health is not at risk, officials said. Currently, the avian flu carries a low risk for the general public around the nation, according to the CDC. Find out more about the bird flu.

But bird-flu cases can still significantly impact the surrounding area, according to Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding. Poultry and eggs in Northampton County — the location of the impacted farm — bring $141 million in sales to the county's economy, he said.

"Backyard bird owners should recognize that this disease is deadly to their birds," Redding said. "Protecting their birds helps protect neighboring poultry farms and the families and jobs that depend on those businesses."

The birds in the Pennsylvania flock became infected after a dead turkey vulture was found on the property. Wild birds are known to be the source of infection elsewhere, according to Pennsylvania officials.

Earlier this year, officials detected the bird flu in a noncommercial, backyard flock in Monmouth County. The disease killed many of the flock's ducks, the New Jersey Department of Agriculture said May 18. But officials haven't detected any other New Jersey cases this year, according to CDC data. Read more: Bird Flu Detected In NJ, Killing Ducks In Backyard Flock

Wild-bird migration season picks up again in the coming weeks, Redding says. He reminded poultry owners to do the following:

• Practice excellent biosecurity every day.
• Everyone on the farm should clean clothes and scrub boots or shoes with disinfectant and wash hands before and after contact with animals.
• Keep equipment and vehicles clean, including all those entering your property.
• Control birds and rodents who can carry and spread disease.
• Keep your birds inside whenever possible and minimize the chance of contact with wild birds.
• Clean under barn soffits and eliminate possible entry points for wild birds.
• Eliminate standing water that may attract wild birds.

With reporting from Justin Heinze/Patch Staff.