OLYMPIA – Stevens County, Washington saw its first case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) late last week. Washington State’s domestic herds had a nearly one-year hiatus from HPAI until last month. Since then, the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) has confirmed a total of five cases, with the last two confirmed on Friday, November 1, 2024, in Okanogan and Stevens counties.

Wild birds and mammals and domestic livestock of neighboring states continue to have detections, indicating that the virus is still present in the environment and spreading during fall migration. Bird owners should continue to take precautions to protect their flocks.

“While we had hoped to see no cases this year, current trends suggest the virus is migrating this fall. We need to remain vigilant and ready to respond in the coming weeks and possibly Monday,” said Dr. Dana Dobbs, avian health officer for the Washington state veterinarian’s office.

Herd owners within 10 kilometers (or about 6 miles) of a detection are in a surveillance zone and are encouraged to self-report their herd health. WSDA encourages herd owners to use online surveillance self-report tool to facilitate self-reporting and visiting interactive map to check if you are in a surveillance area. State veterinarians seek to contact each herd owner in a surveillance area to check the health status of their herd; self-reporting allows a veterinarian to reach out by phone to discuss biosecurity and what to look for without having to make contact in person.

State veterinarians say the biggest risk factor so far is direct contact with wild waterfowl. Since May 5, 2022, when WSDA announced the first case in Washington, most of the 51 affected flocks (two commercial, 49 backyard) have had contact with wild waterfowl.

Protect your birds

maintaining enhanced biosecurity involves keeping birds sheltered and restricting access to water sources where wild waterfowl congregate and interact with domestic flocks. It’s also a good idea to clean up any feed spills, limit visitors to the coop, and refrain from sharing equipment with other flock owners.

Resources for flock owners to learn about bird flu and protect their birds include WSDA web page on bird fluyear interactive map, frequently asked questionsWSDA Facebook groupand USDA Defend the herd web page.

Reporting signs of illness

If your flock is experiencing the sudden death or illness of multiple birds, call the WSDA Sick Bird Helpline at 1-800-606-3056 or use the online reporting tool. Birds that have already died should be double bagged and kept in a cooler on ice until WSDA veterinarians can arrange sampling. Veterinarians also recommend not allowing non-birds access to dead domestic birds, as this can further spread the virus. Sick or dead wild birds should not be touched or moved and can be reported using the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. online reporting tool.

Similar news

Earlier this year, federal agencies confirmed the detection of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI or H5N1) in several dairy herds in the United States. Authorities also confirmed HPAI in pigs last week. To date, there have been no reports of animals with HPAI in Washington. The strain reported by HPAI in poultry cases in Washington is not the same strain that has affected dairies across the country.

The Washington State Veterinary Office is working closely with animal veterinarians and industry leaders to monitor national detections of HPAI (H5N1) in dairy and swine herds.

 

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Average grade: WSDA will send out a press release for each new county with a detection. Subsequent detections in a county that have already been announced will be updated on our website Chart of HPAI 2022-24 detections.