USDA confirms highly pathogenic H7 avian influenza in Tennessee breeder flock

This kind of bird flu doesn’t pose a risk to the food supply, the Tennessee statement said, and the risk of human infection during bird flu outbreaks is low.

Monday, more than 73,000 chickens were destroyed due to an outbreak of an H7 strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza at a Tennessee farm. There have been bird flu outbreaks in China and in Europe in recent months, though they are of differing strains.

Testing was done by state and federal laboratories, confirming the presence of H7 HPAI.

Earlier this January, the USDA discovered a HPAI virus in a wild duck in Montana, which can carry these strains without becoming sick.

No people were affected during that outbreak, which was primarily of the H5N2 strain. For now, the new virus outbreak hasn’t infected any humans in the US.

The statement said all Tyson poultry operations in the USA are operating under heightened biosecurity as a result of avian flu outbreaks in this country in 2015.

Officials said the biggest threat with humans handling infected birds comes from them also handling healthy birds, which will spread the virus quickly to flocks.

The Tennessee Department of Agriculture said it was liaising directly with poultry workers at the affect facility to ensure they were taking proper safety precautions to prevent illness and disease spread. “Because it’s deep down, it’s not readily transmitted from person to person”.

Officials with the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development say, as of today’s date, there have been no cases of HPAI in domestic poultry in Michigan.

Spencer said cross contamination can easily happen.

Jennifer Holton is a spokeswoman for the Michigan Department of Agriculture. “The United States has the strongest AI surveillance program in the world, and USDA is working with its partners to actively look for the disease in commercial poultry operations, live bird markets and in migratory wild bird populations“. Only one commercial chicken farm in Alabama was within the six-mile radius, the state said, and all the birds there tested negative for the flu.