US - Washington state: HP H5N2 confirmed in Benton and Okanogan County - WSDA - OIE

[Emily]

Does anyone understand why 5,000 healthy birds are killed when a few dozen get sick or die? (Assuming they can be quarantined.) I wonder if they are sold into the pet food market and it's cheaper to do that than maintain a lengthy quarantine? If so, a compensation program could keep those influenza-resistant genes around.

[Pathfinder]

Bird flu strikes 4th Washington flock, spreads to hawks

Don Jenkins
Capital Press
Published:
February 4, 2015 10:39AM
...
The Washington State Department of Agriculture on Monday established a quarantine zone 6 miles around where about 100 birds, raised primarily as a youth project, were infected in Okanogan County near the Canada border.

The virus rapidly killed about half of the birds before tests confirmed Saturday that they were avian flu victims. The surviving birds will be euthanized, according to WSDA.

The flock was in Oroville, about 40 miles from where 5,000 game birds were infected last week in Riverside. In that case, the virus killed 40 pheasants and 12 turkeys before it was confirmed. The surviving game birds were euthanized Tuesday.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has yet to identify the specific bird flu strain in either case, though officials have determined the virus was highly pathogenic.
...
Baker said the Oroville flock, like the others, was likely infected by migratory waterfowl, which carry avian influenza but are immune to the virus.
...
In the first cases involving raptors, the USDA has confirmed a Cooper?s hawk in Whatcom County and a red-tailed hawk in Skagit County tested positive for highly pathogenic H5N2 bird flu. The virus is a mixed of Eurasian and North American avian influenza strains.

Tests are pending on at least two other raptors collected in Washington ? a red-tailed hawk from Benton County and a peregrine falcon from Grays Harbor County.

Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife veterinarian Kristin Mansfield said raptors don?t pose the same threat as migratory waterfowl as spreaders of the virus. A raptor with bird flu doesn?t survive long, she said. ?It kills them pretty quick.?

...

http://www.capitalpress.com/Washington/20150204/bird-flu-strikes-4th-washington-flock-spreads-to-hawks

[Pathfinder]

Thousands Of Birds In Washington Euthanized Over Bird Flu
By ANNA KING ? 3 HOURS AGO

Washington state agriculture officials have just finished up the grim task of euthanizing nearly 5,000 birds in Okanogan County.
...
?It?s an unfortunate situation because there were several lines of birds that, as the owner put it, would not be seen in captivity again, that he had propagated there as a way to maintain very rare species," said Dr. Joe Baker, Washington?s top veterinarian.

This might be one of the largest body counts in state history. Officials say the sheer number of individual animals that were euthanized because of disease hasn?t been seen in years.

http://www.kplu.org/post/thousands-birds-washington-euthanized-over-bird-flu