Poultry from Iowa spark avian flu worries in Arizona

Farm quail
Farm quail

Quail and chickens and quail and partridge eggs were imported from an affected facility in Iowa., belchonock / iStock

Authorities in Arizona have quarantined four properties in the state because the sites imported poultry and eggs from an Iowa facility where birds fell ill with avian influenza shortly after the products were shipped, the Arizona Department of Agriculture (ADA) announced yesterday.

"Thirteen quail and chickens and about 40 quail and partridge eggs were imported from a facility in Iowa," the ADA said in a press release. "A short time after the birds and eggs were shipped to Arizona, birds at the facility became sick and initial test results for those birds came back positive for H5 Avian Influenza."

The four properties that received the products are in Pinal, Mohave, Santa Cruz, and Yavapai counties, the ADA said. Birds at the sites will be tested, but it could take up to 6 days to get the results.

In the release, State Veterinarian Perry Durham, DVM, urged the public not to order birds or eggs from states where avian flu is circulating. "These birds and eggs came from a state where Avian Influenza is rampant, responsible for the loss of millions of turkeys and hens," he said.

The statement included a list of the 21 states, mostly in the Midwest, where avian flu (H5N2 or H5N8) has been detected in recent months.

The ADA said the Iowa facility, which was not identified, shipped birds and eggs to "almost 75% of the country in the weeks before the initial testing," suggesting a risk for many outbreaks. The agency noted that anyone importing birds into Arizona must have an original certificate of health for the birds and ensure they come from a non-controlled area.

Iowa gets a break

In other avian flu developments, authorities in hard-hit Iowa noted that the state has had only one outbreak this week, while more states announced restrictions on bird shows as a precaution against the disease.

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) noted the avian flu slowdown in an update today. The last outbreak, reported Jun 8 in Sioux County, was the state's 73rd.

The IDALS said that all infected turkey flocks in the state have been depopulated and are being composted, while all but one of the commercial layer chicken and pullet facilities have been depopulated.

The US Department of Agriculture has more than 2,100 staff and contract workers helping to respond to avian flu in Iowa, and more than 300 state employees have been involved in the response, the IDALS noted.

Meanwhile, Minnesota has now gone for a week with no new H5N2 outbreaks. The last one, reported Jun 5, brought the tally of affected farms to 108, involving more than 9 million birds.

Bird show restrictions

Also this week, Kansas joined the growing list of states banning bird shows and sales in the name of stopping H5N2 avian flu. The Kansas Department of Agriculture said all shows and events where birds from different flocks would be commingled are banned for the rest of this year.

Kansas has had just one H5N2 outbreak, detected in March in a backyard poultry flock in Leavenworth County, which is part of the Kansas City area.

Two days ago Wisconsin authorities announced narrower restrictions on bird shows and events. The state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection banned poultry swap meets or shows that are not part of a county, district, or state fair, and set record-keeping requirements for poultry shows at such fairs.

The requirements pertain to contact information for exhibitors, the locations where poultry were kept, and certification that there were no recent bird deaths at those locations.

See also:

Jun 11 ADA statement

Jun 12 IDALS statement

Kansas announcement

Jun 10 Wisconsin announcement

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