Deadly Avian Flu Spreads To New Location In PA: Latest Details

PENNSYLVANIA — The highly contagious avian flu that is decimating bird populations nationwide has spread again in Pennsylvania, with new cases confirmed at a farm in Lancaster County, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture said. State and federal officials are working on a coordinated response.

The cases were found in commercial chickens at an East Donegal Township poultry farm. Tests were done at the Pennsylvania Veterinary Laboratory and were later confirmed by the the National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa.

The entire farm has been quarantined, as well as all other commercial poultry facilities within a 10 kilometer radius, the state said.

"There is no immediate public health concern for Pennsylvanians, and we are prepared to respond to this agricultural issue," Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said in a statement. "However, wild birds carry the virus and do not respect property or state lines. Anyone visiting a farm should be aware that your vehicles and shoes may carry the virus from other places you have walked."

Shoes and cars should be cleaned thoroughly, and residents should stay away from poultry farms unless they have a reason to be there.

No human cases of avian flu have been found in Pennsylvania, and officials say the current outbreak does not pose a threat to human health, although it has infected humans in rare instances in the past.

The flu does pose a grave risk to domesticated and wild bird populations. It was first detected in the state in a wild bald eagle in East Marlborough, Chester County in March. Tests also are being performed on five wild hooded mergansers recovered from Kahle Lake on the border of Clarion and Venango counties in northwestern Pennsylvania. Four were found dead and a fifth that was undergoing neurologic issues was euthanized.

The cases found last month marked the first outbreak of the avian flu confirmed in the Keystone State since 1984.

Pennsylvania has a $7.1 billion poultry industry. In addition to the ongoing state and federal response to the latest positive tests, extensive biosecurity protocols have been put in place. Roughly $2 million has been invested statewide in avian influenza response.

Other efforts include education and public outreach, surveillance, testing, and informed management of populations.

The state says they tested nearly 200,000 samples for avian flu at their three animal health laboratories in 2021. The labs can test many more samples if the need arises, they say.

The outbreak is concentrated mainly in the Eastern and Central United States, but cases have been reported in the Dakotas and Wyoming as the bird flu makes its way west, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said.