The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory (NVSL) has confirmed a backyard flock detection of a highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAI) H5N1 in Pitkin County.
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CDA is working closely with the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and other state and local partners for response. This finding is the first case of HPAI in domestic poultry in Colorado.
The Colorado State Veterinarian’s office received a report from a veterinarian in Pitkin County, after 35 out of 36 poultry in a flock died. The flock had known exposure to sick waterfowl in the preceding days.
One bird carcass was delivered to the CSU Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory for preliminary testing, with confirmatory testing being completed at the USDA NVSL on April 8, 2022. The remaining bird was euthanized and the farm is now under quarantine. CDA is actively working with local officials to increase monitoring and detection activities in Pitkin County.
“With the first detection of HPAI in a backyard flock in Colorado, the State Veterinarian’s office is working diligently to provide information to backyard flock owners about how to protect their flocks and continue to monitor commercial operations,” said State Veterinarian Dr. Maggie Baldwin.
"CDA and USDA field staff will be performing outreach activities in the surrounding area to increase awareness of the risk for the disease. HPAI is a highly fatal disease that can decimate a small flock in less than 48 hours, so it is critical for bird owners to take measures that prevent the introduction and spread of the virus."
CDA is asking all backyard flock owners to immediately increase the biosecurity measures they employ on their own premises, including keeping a closed flock, decreasing interactions between domestic and wild birds, and keeping feed away from wild birds.
The State Veterinarian’s office has also been proactively working with Colorado’s commercial poultry operations to prepare and strengthen individual facility biosecurity plans. ■
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