According to the USDA, poultry farmers should review their biosecurity precautions for their flocks of avian influenza. This was after the USDA discovered the highly pathogenic EurasianH5 variant in a wild South Carolina duck. Highly pathogenic avian flu can quickly spread and wipe out flocks.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said it confirmed avian influenza in a wild American wigeon, a species of dabbling duck, following preliminary tests at Clemson University. Colleton County, South Carolina, was where the wigeon was found. It is located about 50 miles west and part of the lowcountry along the South Carolina coast.
“Anyone involved with poultry production from the small backyard to the large commercial producer should review their biosecurity activities to assure the health of their birds,” said APHIS. It recommended that owners avoid contact between wild birds, and their flocks. The virus was considered to pose a low threat of infection to humans.
A flock of turkeys in Chesterfield County, on the South Carolina border with North Carolina and 50 miles southeast of Charlotte, was culled in April 2020 after it was infected with the H7N3 version of highly pathogenic avian influenza.
The 2014-15 epidemic of “high path” avian influenza was the largest animal health disaster in the United States. Nearly 50,000,000 birds, mostly turkeys or laying chickens, died. Iowa had 32 million birds lose their lives.
Source: Successful Farming
