Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services issued the following announcement on Jan. 28
Biosecurity alert for Virginia poultry owners and waterfowl hunters. Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) was recently detected in wild waterfowl in Virginia. The confirmations consisted of two hunter harvested wild migratory waterfowl. Given the recent detection of HPAI in wild waterfowl in NC and SC, in the migratory path of wild waterfowl known as the Atlantic Flyway, these detections were not unexpected.
Those involved with poultry production in VA, from small backyard flocks to large commercial production, should review their biosecurity activities to assure the health of their birds. Biosecurity info is available at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/.../dtf-resources/dtf-resources. Additional biosecurity info on backyard flocks can be found at http://healthybirds.aphis.usda.gov.
Wild birds can be infected with HPAI without appearing sick. Waterfowl hunters can reduce the risk of exposing poultry or pet birds to HPAI by following USDA guidance http://www.aphis.usda.gov/.../2015/fsc_hpai_hunters.pdf.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers the risk to the general public from HPAI infections to be low. As a reminder, the proper handling and cooking of poultry, wild game birds, and eggs to an internal temperature of 165˚F kills bacteria and viruses, including HPAI.
Reports of multiple (at least five) dead, wild, free-ranging waterfowl (ducks, geese, or swans.), seabirds (terns, gulls, cormorants, etc.), shorebirds (dunlin, black-bellied plovers, sanderlings, ruddy turnstones, etc.), upland game birds (turkeys, grouse, or quail), or avian scavengers (crows, raptors, owls, etc.) should be submitted to the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources at http://ow.ly/rzbW50HFFwU.
For more information visit http://ow.ly/hwN350HFFwV
Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources
Original source can be found here.
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