Source: Chris Scott, MEATINGPLACE, 3/22/17

Alabama State Veterinarian Tony Frazier confirmed that low pathogenic avian influenza was found in two flocks in two counties, the state’s Dept. of Agriculture and Industries said in a news release.

Routine samples from a commercial farm in western Pickens County and a backyard flock in northern Madison County were tested by the state agency’s diagnostic laboratory, which confirmed the presence of bird flu in both areas. Researchers at the USDA National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa, also confirmed that the commercial facility tested positive for some form of bird flu and that the backyard flock tested positive for the low pathogenic H7N9 strain of avian influenza, the release noted.

State officials are working with USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) on a joint incident response, while the state agency already has extended a ban on poultry exhibitions and the assembly of poultry to be sold, the release said. Other biosecurity measures suggested by the state agency include minimizing access to people, unsanitized equipment or other animals.

Meanwhile, Peco Foods Inc. officials were unavailable to comment on local reports that its facility in Gordo, Ala., was the commercial site that tested positive for bird flu and that an unspecified number of chickens already have been destroyed.

Finally, APHIS is clarifying that the reported outbreak of bird flu in Kentucky has not been confirmed by USDA testing, but the outbreak is considered “presumptive” low pathogenic avian influenza. An APHIS spokesperson noted that four U.S. states – Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee and Wisconsin – have been affected by some form of avian influenza so far this year.

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