Avian flu detected in more Iowa and Minnesota flocks
Avian flu outbreaks hit six more poultry flocks in Iowa and Minnesota, according to announcements today from the two states.
The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) reported probable H5 outbreaks at a 400,000-bird pullet farm in Wright County, located in the central part of the state. It also said the virus struck a turkey farm that kept 42,000 birds in Sac County, in west-central Iowa.
Increased mortality triggered testing in both instances. Confirmation tests will be done at the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa. The outbreaks are the fifth for Wright County and the seventh to strike Sac County.
Meanwhile, Minnesota's Department of Public Safety (DPS) announced four more turkey farm outbreaks in four different counties, including the first in Blue Earth County, located in the southern part of the state.
The DPS said the other affected counties are Renville, which has now had 6 outbreaks, Brown County, which has had 3, and Kandiyohi County, which has had 38. The DPS added that 7,000 turkeys are affected at the Kandiyohi location, while information on flock sizes for the other three counties will be coming soon.
So far the disease has hit 102 farms in 23 Minnesota counties.
Also today, he USDA said that, as of May 28, it has received reports of 195 highly pathogenic avian flu detections since the middle of December, affecting about 43.6 million birds. The most recently reported outbreaks, however, don't appear to be reflected in the USDA's overview.
May 29 IDALS press release
May 29 DPS statement
USDA avian influenza update
H5N1 strikes Ivory Coast for first time in more than 8 years
A backyard flock of birds stricken with H5N1 in Ivory Coast was reported to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) yesterday by veterinary official in that country, the first outbreak there since Jan 31, 2007.
The premises are located in the area of Bouake in central Ivory Coast, the second largest city in the country. The outbreak began Apr 9, with laboratory confirmation May 20, according to the OIE notice. Clinical illness occurred in 98 birds in a flock of 138; 93 died, for an apparent case-fatality rate of 95%. None of the remaining birds are noted to have been destroyed as of the date of the notice.
The source of the outbreak is listed as "introduction of new live animals" and "contact with wild species." Control measures being applied include quarantine, movement control within the country, and screening. Disinfection of the premises and dipping/spraying of the birds are forthcoming.
May 28 OIE report