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Avian flu case confirmed along Idaho state line prompts quarantine in Malheur County; Washington's King County reports case.

Farm Press Staff

May 27, 2022

2 Min Read
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USDA ARS

Malheur County in eastern Oregon is the latest county to see a bird quarantine as a result of the highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreak that has been spreading throughout the Pacific Northwest.

The Oregon Department of Agriculture announced the USDA-imposed quarantine May 26, preventing movement of poultry from within this area for six months, according to the Ontario, Ore., Argus Observer.

Fairs throughout the region all fall within that timeframe, meaning a local 4-H group that exclusively raises poultry and rabbits likely won't be able to show birds at the upcoming Malheur County Fair, the newspaper reported.

Related: USDA sets bird quarantine in Oregon to curb HPAI

A quarantine was established recently in Lane County, Ore., after several Canada goose goslings collected from Alton Baker Park in Eugene tested positive for HPAI. A red-tailed hawk from Eugene and an osprey collected from Dorena Reservoir (east of Cottage Grove) May 10 have also tested positive.

A map of the quarantine areas is available online. Because of federal and international disease control requirements, quarantine areas must extend a minimum of 6.2 miles around the infected property.

Cases in King County

Meanwhile, two more flocks in Washington tested positive for the H5N1 avian flu on May 24, both in King County, according to the state Department of Agriculture. The flock owners called the WSDA Sick Bird Hotline and reported sudden deaths and signs of lethargy and depression in their small flocks.

“Both death and neurological symptoms such as head bobbing, walking abnormally, and lack of fear are especially prominent in both domestic and wild waterfowl in this year’s HPAI outbreak,” Dr. Amber Itle, state veterinarian, said.

Related: UC expert: Protect poultry from migrating birds

Recent cases have also been found in Linn County, Ore., in seven other counties in Washington and five in Idaho.

Outbreaks of the H5N1 bird flu have devastated commercial poultry operations in the Midwest this year, killing over 37 million chickens and turkeys. HPAI has yet to show up in commercial flocks in the West, but the disease has been found in backyard flocks throughout the region, including in Colorado, Wyoming, Montana and Utah.

Source: Oregon Department of Agriculture, Washington Department of Agriculture, which is solely responsible for the information provided and is wholly owned by the source. Informa Business Media and all its subsidiaries are not responsible for any of the content contained in this information asset.

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