US bird flu: Alabama chicken farm quarantined, 48,000 birds killed after highly pathogenic avian flu detected

MONTGOMERY (Alabama, US), Nov 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Nearly 48,000 birds were killed at a north Alabama chicken farm after state agriculture officials confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic avian flu there.

The commercial pullet farm in Marshall County has been quarantined after samples from the flock were confirmed positive for HPAI, the Alabama Department of Agriculture & Industries announced on Friday.

While considered low risk to humans, HPAI is highly contagious to birds, including commercial and backyard flocks of poultry, the agency said.

The virus is also not considered a threat to food safety because infected birds do not enter the good supply, according to the department.

All poultry within a 10-kilometer radius of the farm are being tested and monitored.

However, no other flocks have experienced an uptick in deaths.

“It is critical for commercial and backyard poultry operations to remain alert and closely monitor the health of their poultry,” said Alabama Agriculture Commissioner Rick Pate and State Veterinarian Tony Frazier in a joint statement. “The HPAI infected flock in Marshall County reinforces the need to continue following strict biosecurity measures, including keeping birds enclosed without access to wild birds or other domestic flocks.”

The presence of the virus in Marshall County comes a week after HPAI was confirmed in an upland gamebird farm in Chilton County. All poultry there — nearly 296,500 birds — were affected and all will be killed by the end of the week, the department said.

It was not immediately clear if the cases at both farms were connected.

Federal and state officials are working on additional surveillance and testing in areas around the affected flocks, according to the agency, pointing out that the United States has the strongest avian flu surveillance program in the world.

The agency and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are monitoring for the disease in commercial poultry farms, backyard flocks, live bird markets and wild bird populations. — NNN-AGENCIES