Local News

New Avian Flu detection in Okanogan County

Jan 28, 2015

This past weekend, the Washington State Department of Agriculture received a report that several birds in a flock had died in Okanogan County - as many as 40 pheasants and 12 turkeys. The flock is a game flock in Riverside, in Okanogan County, and consists of approximately 5,000 birds. Samples from the birds were tested and confirmed positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza on Tuesday. The specific strain of avian influenza has not yet been identified.

On Thursday, Jan. 29, a team of veterinarians from U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and WSDA will begin assessing the area for poultry flocks and contacting bird owners in the immediate vicinity of the infected flock.

The WSDA, USDA and Okanogan County Public health are working with the flock owners in developing a response plan to this latest report. That plan has not been finalized and no details are available. The site of the flock is under quarantine and no birds are being moved from the property. The flock owners are participants in a USDA program, National Poultry Improvement Plan. The plan includes as part of its standards regular testing of their birds. As recently as November, test results on their birds showed no sign of avian influenza in the flock

WSDA is advising commercial poultry growers and backyard flock owners to be vigilant with biosecurity measures. This should include limiting contact between their birds and wild birds, especially waterfowl.

To date, three strains of avian influenza have now been detected in Washington state:

H5N8 – found in a falcon fed wild duck

H5N2 – detected in a wild duck in Whatcom County, in two backyard flocks in Benton County, and in a backyard flock in Clallam County.

H5N1 – detected in a wild duck in Whatcom County

This sub-type of the H5N1 virus detected in Whatcom County is genetically different from the virus with the same designation that has circulated in Europe and Asia in recent years. The Eurasian H5N1 has infected people.

To date, there have been no cases in the United States of humans becoming ill from any of these viruses. While the risk to the public is low, it is not zero. People with known close contact with infected birds, including owners of infected flocks, will be contacted by public health officials as a precautionary measure.

Deaths or illness among domestic birds should be reported to the WSDA Avian Health Program at 1-800-606-3056.