Source: Chris Scott, MEATINGPLACE, 3/16/15

Federal and local officials are taking steps to contain a confirmed outbreak of the avian influenza in Kansas as poultry producers and processors watch for global reactions that could curb their exports.

USDA and Kansas Department of Agriculture (KDA) reported that a backyard poultry flock of chickens and ducks in Leavenworth County tested positive for the H5N2 strain, the same highly pathogenic strain found in Missouri last week. The KDA is establishing quarantine zones at the site of the outbreak, has put Cherokee and Crawford counties under surveillance, and is asking backyard poultry owners to be on the lookout for symptoms among their birds.

The latest confirmation of bird flu brings the total number of Midwestern states affected by outbreaks to four – Arkansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Kansas ¬– all along a migratory wild bird flight path suspected to be at the heart of the recent infections. Minnesota officials also reported that no additional cases of avian flu have been found in that state since more than 44,000 birds were killed earlier this month, according to Minnesota Public Radio.

Both federal and state officials stress that the strain poses little threat to humans, although it is highly contagious among birds and that so far no humans have been infected, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).

Dozens of nations – including Mexico and Canada – have already imposed bans covering either poultry products from specific states or a blanket ban on all U.S. poultry.

Separately, officials in nearby Midwestern states are paying close attention to the situation along what is known as the Mississippi migratory bird flyway. Ohio State Veterinarian Dr. Tony Forshey has issued a statement warning Ohio’s poultry owners to monitor their birds for signs of illness in light of the rapidly spreading outbreak. He also stressed that fair projects involving poultry, backyard flocks and commercial poultry producers should all by practicing solid biosecurity measures.

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