US, Idaho - HP H5N2 and H5N8 detected in wild birds and backyard flock

[Gert van der Hoek]

The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service posted a short notice on its website that highly pathogenic bird flu had been found in a backyard flock in Idaho. Further details were not immediately available Monday.

http://www.capitalpress.com/Washingt...shington-flock


.HK bans import of poultry meat and products from Canyon County, State of Idaho, US
************************************************** ****** The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (January 20) that in view of a notification from the American authority about an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N2 avian influenza in Canyon County, State of Idaho, the US, it has banned the import of poultry meat and products (including poultry eggs) from the county with immediate effect for the protection of Hong Kong's public health.

A CFS spokesman said about 250 000 tonnes of frozen poultry meat and about 480 million poultry eggs were imported into Hong Kong from the US from January to November last year.

"The CFS has contacted the American authority over the issue and will closely monitor information issued by the World Organisation for Animal Health on avian influenza outbreaks in the country. Appropriate action will be taken in response to the development of the situation," the spokesman said.

Ends/Tuesday, January 20, 2015
Issued at HKT 18:53

[Gert van der Hoek]

We are contacting you to provide information on the recent detection of highly pathogenic avian
influenza (HPAI) in other western states. To give you a brief background, two strains of HPAI (H5N2 and
H5N8) were detected in domestic backyard bird flocks and wild waterfowl in northern Washington and
Oregon in December 2014. In addition, H5N8 was detected in wild ducks in California in December 2014.
In January 2015 an American widgeon sampled in Utah tested positive for HPAI strain H5N8. Idaho has
also reported two detections of avian influenza, one in hunter-killed waterfowl and a second in several
captive falcons that had been fed a wild duck.

[Gert van der Hoek]

Avian influenza confirmed in Idaho

Posted: Tuesday, January 20, 2015 10:27 am

Dr. Bill Barton Idaho State Veterinarian News release |0 comments

BOISE ? The Idaho State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) has initiated a multi-agency investigation following the confirmation of a highly pathogenic strain of the avian influenza virus (HPAI), originating from wild waterfowl, in western and southern Idaho.

The incidents of HPAI recently found in Washington, Oregon, California and Utah, led USDA Wildlife Services and the Idaho Department of Fish and Game to increase routine disease surveillance of wild waterfowl in common migratory regions of Idaho. Surveillance conducted in Gooding County identified several cases of H5N8 avian influenza in wild ducks.

The H5N2 strain of avian influenza virus was confirmed in three falcons from a private, non-commercial flock in Canyon County, Idaho and was a result of recent contact with wild waterfowl. The flock is currently under quarantine and additional viral testing is being conducted on the remaining birds. Additionally, a small backyard poultry flock in Canyon County, Idaho was identified as having chickens positive for H5N2. That flock was immediately put under quarantine and the birds have been depopulated.

?Both the H5N8 and H5N2 strains of HPAI confirmed in Idaho have previously been identified in incidents in backyard domestic poultry and wild fowl in other northwestern states. It is critical that backyard flock owners and poultry producers take every opportunity to prevent contact between domestic birds and the wild waterfowl that carry the avian influenza virus? said Dr. Bill Barton, ISDA State Veterinarian.

[Pathfinder]

AVIAN INFLUENZA CONFIRMED IN IDAHO

http://www.agri.idaho.gov/Categories/Animals/Documents/Avian_Influenza_Information_1-20-15.pdf

http://www.agri.idaho.gov/