By Jane Vaughan
About 50 geese and chickens were confirmed last week to have contracted Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, the first confirmed outbreak in the county. The animals were subsequently euthanized.
This avian influenza has been in Oregon since 2022. According to the Oregon Department of Agriculture, it has sickened three commercial poultry flocks and 38 backyard flocks in the state since May 2022.
The virus causes almost 100% mortality in domestic poultry and can infect humans too. It was also confirmed in Klamath County earlier this year.
Ryan Scholz, the state veterinarian, said this flu typically spreads from wild waterfowl to domestic poultry.
He said if you don’t have birds at home, you probably don’t need to worry. But if you have birds like chickens or ducks, you should take precautions.
"The risk this disease poses to the general public is low, [it's] not a food borne disease. It's not something we're worried about in the food system," he said. "People who have birds at home, the answer isn't get rid of your birds. Really, the answer is protect your birds."
Those precautions include keeping your domestic birds away from wild birds, washing your hands before and after handling your birds and cleaning your equipment.
Scholz said birds that contract this type of flu are typically euthanized "because that is the humane thing to do. Also, though, for every bird that becomes infected, they're going to shed that virus and introduce that much more virus into the environment, create that much more risk of additional spillovers into other animals and potentially additional exposures to the humans that are caring for them."
He said the flu can have serious impacts.
"The potential for impact is that your birds all die. It can be transmitted to other species in some cases. It's not common, but it has happened," he said.
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