DOVER, Del. (March 17, 2022)— Federal laboratory testing has confirmed a highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza (HPAI) case in a commercial broiler farm in Kent County, Delaware. Following an investigation by the Delaware Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Veterinary Services Laboratory confirmed poultry from this farm tested positive for highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza (HPAI).

This avian influenza detection follows previously announced cases on farms in New Castle County, Delaware, and Cecil and Queen Anne’s Counties, Maryland. Following these cases, federal and state partners have greatly expanded their surveillance sampling and testing regimen to better protect the poultry industry on the Delmarva Peninsula.

State officials have quarantined all affected premises, and the birds have been depopulated to prevent the spread of the disease. Birds from affected flocks will not enter the food system.

There is currently minimal risk to public health as there have been no human cases of HPAI in the United States. Avian influenza does not affect poultry meat or egg products, which remain safe to eat.

Avian influenza is a highly contagious airborne respiratory virus that spreads quickly among birds through nasal and eye secretions and manure. The virus can be spread in various ways from flock to flock, including by wild birds, through contact with infected poultry, by equipment, and on the clothing and shoes of caretakers. This virus affects poultry, like chickens, ducks, turkeys, and wild bird species such as ducks, geese, shorebirds, and raptors.

Considering this new case and the prevalence of the virus in the wild bird population, all poultry owners need to increase their vigilance in protecting their flocks from contracting avian influenza by following these steps:

• Limit, monitor, and record any movement of people, vehicles, or animals on or off your farm.
• Permit only essential workers and vehicles to enter the farm to limit the chances of bringing the virus from an outside source.
• Avoid visiting other poultry farms and any unnecessary travel off the farm.
• Disinfect equipment, vehicles, footwear, and other items that come into contact with flocks.
• Keep your flock away from wild or migratory birds, especially waterfowl.
• Isolate any ill animals and contact your veterinarian.

If You Have Sick Poultry or Experience Increased Mortality in Your Flock:

• Commercial poultry producers should follow the procedures of contacting the company they grow for when they notice signs of disease.
• Backyard flock owners who notice any of the signs of HPAI in their flock should contact:
  • In Delaware, email the Delaware Poultry Health Hotline at poultry.health@delaware.gov or call 302-698-4507 and provide your contact information, size of flock, location, and concerns.
  • In Maryland, report any unusual or sudden increases in sick birds to the MDA Animal Health Program at 410-841-5810. Commercial chicken growers and backyard flock owners can email questions about the outbreak to MD.Birdflu@maryland.gov.

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Additional Information:
For all media requests about HPAI, email: JIC@delaware.gov
Due to biosecurity concerns, no on-site interviews, photos, or videos are allowed. For more information on avian influenza, visit https://de.gov/poultry or https://mda.maryland.gov/AvianFlu.

DOVER, Del. (March 9, 2022)— Federal laboratory testing has confirmed two cases of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza (HPAI)—one pullet operation in New Castle County, Delaware, and one broiler flock in Queen Anne’s County, Maryland. Following an investigation by the Delaware and Maryland Departments of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Veterinary Services Laboratory has confirmed poultry from these farms have tested positive for highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza (HPAI).

These avian influenza findings follow previously announced cases on farms in New Castle County, Delaware, and Cecil County, Maryland. Following these cases, federal and state partners have greatly expanded their surveillance sampling and testing regimen to better protect the poultry industry on the Delmarva Peninsula.

State officials have quarantined all affected premises, and birds on the properties are being or have been depopulated to prevent the spread of the disease. Birds from affected flocks will not enter the food system.

Avian influenza is a highly contagious airborne respiratory virus that spreads quickly among birds through nasal and eye secretions and manure. The virus can be spread in various ways from flock to flock, including by wild birds, through contact with infected poultry, by equipment, and on the clothing and shoes of caretakers. This virus affects poultry, like chickens, ducks, and turkeys, along with some wild bird species such as ducks, geese, shorebirds, and raptors.

Considering these new cases and the prevalence of the virus in the wild bird population, all poultry owners need to increase their vigilance in protecting their flocks from contracting avian influenza.

Key biosecurity practices:

• Clean and disinfect vehicles. Don’t walk through or drive trucks, tractors, or equipment in areas where waterfowl or other wildlife feces may be. If you can’t avoid this, clean your shoes, vehicle, and equipment thoroughly to prevent bringing disease agents back to your flock. This is especially important when visiting with farmers or those who hunt wildfowl, such as when gathering at a local coffee shop, restaurant, or gas station.
• Remove loose feed. Don’t give wild birds, rodents, and insects a free lunch! Remove spilled or uneaten feed immediately and ensure feed storage units are secure and free of holes. Wild birds can carry HPAI.
• Keep visitors to a minimum. Only allow those people who take care of your poultry to come in contact with your birds, including family and friends. Make sure everyone who has contact with your flock follows biosecurity principles.
• Wash your hands before and after coming in contact with live poultry. Wash with soap and water (always your first choice). If using a hand sanitizer, remove manure, feathers, and other materials from your hands because disinfectants will not penetrate organic matter or caked-on dirt.
• Provide disposable boot covers (preferred) or disinfectant footbaths for anyone having contact with your flock. If using a footbath, be sure to remove all droppings, mud, or debris from boots and shoes using a long-handled scrub brush BEFORE stepping into the disinfectant footbath, and always keep it clean.
• Change clothes before entering poultry areas and before exiting the property.
When handling birds, visitors should wear protective outer garments or disposable coveralls, boots, and headgear. Shower out and change clothes when leaving the facility.
• Clean and disinfect tools or equipment before moving them to a new poultry facility. Before allowing vehicles, trucks, tractors, or tools and equipment (e.g., egg flats and cases) that have come in contact with birds or their droppings to exit the property, ensure they are cleaned and disinfected to prevent contaminated equipment from transporting disease. Do not move or reuse items that cannot be cleaned and disinfected, such as cardboard egg flats.
• Look for signs of illness. Know the warning signs of infectious bird diseases.

If You Have Sick Poultry or Experience Increased Mortality in Your Flock:
• Commercial poultry producers should follow the procedures of contacting the company they grow for when they notice signs of disease.
• Backyard flock owners who notice any of the signs of HPAI in their flock should contact:

•  In Delaware, email the Delaware Poultry Health Hotline at poultry.health@delaware.gov or call 302-698-4507 and provide your contact information, size of flock, location, and concerns.
• In Maryland, report any unusual or sudden increases in sick birds to the MDA Animal Health Program at 410-841-5810. Commercial chicken growers and backyard flock owners can email questions about the outbreak to MD.Birdflu@maryland.gov.

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Additional Information:
For all media requests about HPAI, email: JIC@delaware.gov
Due to biosecurity concerns, no on-site interviews, photos, or videos are allowed. For more information on avian influenza, visit https://de.gov/poultry or https://mda.maryland.gov/Pages/AvianFlu.aspx.

DOVER, Del. (March 1, 2022) – The Delaware Department of Agriculture (DDA) has been warning poultry owners since January to take extra precautions to protect their birds in light of detections of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in wild birds in the Atlantic Flyway. But after a case of HPAI was announced last week in a commercial poultry farm in New Castle County, DDA is reminding owners that biosecurity is the best way to protect bird health.

Biosecurity refers to everything that people can do to protect their flock to stop anything that causes disease away from the birds, property, and people.

Avian influenza is an airborne respiratory virus that spreads easily among chickens through nasal and eye secretions, as well as manure. The virus can be spread in various ways from flock to flock, including by wild birds, through contact with infected poultry, by equipment, and on the clothing and shoes of caretakers.

Wild birds typically do not show signs of illness, but they can shed the virus at high levels in their manure or droppings if infected. In fact, one gram of contaminated manure, enough to cover a dime, can infect one million birds. Therefore, Delaware poultry is at risk from exposure if they have access to areas where free-flying waterfowl and wild birds are present in the environment. Additionally, if a person steps in contaminated manure while out and about, they can bring the virus back to their domesticated birds, where the birds can eat it, causing infection.

So what can you do, especially when wild birds fly overhead, dropping fecal matter all over during their migration?
• Keep your poultry away from wild ducks, geese, and their environment, including ponds, lakes, and swampy areas.
• Restrict small flocks from sharing their habitat with wild waterfowl by maintaining outdoor enclosures with solid roofs and wire mesh or netted sides. Repair any holes or tears that would allow birds or rodents to enter.
• Provide feed and water in an indoor or covered area. Change it daily and promptly clean up any spilled feed so as not to attract wildlife.
• Wear designated farm shoes when working with your birds or use disposable shoe coverings each time you enter your flock area. If you have multiple chicken houses, have a dedicated set of footwear that you keep in each house. Use footbaths before entering a chicken house.
• Wash your hands before and after working with your birds to reduce the chance of spreading infectious particles.
• Clean and disinfect any equipment or bird housing/coops before bringing them onto your property. Avian influenza virus can survive in manure for several months, especially with high moisture and low temperatures.
• Starlings, songbirds, vultures, and other raptors can be carriers of avian influenza and not show signs of disease. Consider hanging a bird deterrent in the doorway of poultry houses while doors are open when working in the poultry house.
• Wash your vehicles and trailers after visiting other poultry facilities and go through a car wash before you return home.
• Keep visitors to a minimum. Only allow those people who have direct responsibility in taking care of your flock to come in contact with the birds. Keep track of everyone who comes onto your property at all times by using a logbook. If they had contact with other poultry, have pet birds, or had contact with wild birds (e.g., hunting), do not let them come in contact with your flock.

When adding birds to your flock, make sure to purchase them from a reputable source. The baby chicks purchased at local farm stores come from NPIP certified flocks tested and shown to be free from avian influenza. When they are two weeks old, these chicks will typically leave the store with their new owner, so they are considered low-risk for having the disease. However, once they are about three weeks old, they are more susceptible to contracting the virus from their new environment. Make sure to keep new birds or returning show birds separated from established home flocks for 30 days.

No matter the size, all poultry farms should be monitoring flocks for any signs of increased mortality. Pay particular attention to see if any birds show signs of respiratory illness or distress, such as sneezing, gasping for air, coughing, and/or runny nose. Other signs of HPAI in poultry can include swelling around the eyes, neck, and head; purple discoloration of the wattles, combs, and legs; tremors, drooping wings, circling, twisting of the head and neck, or any combination; watery, green diarrhea; lack of energy, poor appetite; and a drop in egg production, or soft or thin-shelled, misshapen eggs.

Backyard flock owners who notice any of the signs of HPAI in their flock should contact the Delaware Poultry Health Hotline at 302-698-4507 or send an email to poultry.health@delaware.gov with contact information, size of flock, location, and concerns. Backyard flock owners will be contacted if a sample needs to be taken. Do not take dead or sick birds to a lab to be tested or move them off-site.

Commercial poultry producers should follow the procedures of contacting the company they grow for when they notice signs of disease.

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DOVER, Del. (February 23, 2022) – Testing has confirmed a case of avian influenza on a Delaware poultry farm that showed increased mortality over the past few days. Following an investigation by the Delaware Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory has confirmed poultry from this farm have tested positive for highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza (HPAI).

There is no public health concern, and avian influenza does not affect poultry meat or egg products, which remain safe to eat.

“We have taken immediate action to contain this disease and will continue to work with poultry owners, the industry, and our laboratory partners to protect against its spread,” said Delaware Secretary of Agriculture Michael T. Scuse. “This appears to be an isolated case, with no reports of disease among our chicken industry. Delmarva poultry is safe to eat, and consumers can be confident in the safety of their food.”

The Delaware Department of Agriculture and partner agencies, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture, are working to contain the situation, including sampling and quarantining nearby poultry flocks.

Avian influenza is an airborne respiratory virus that spreads easily among chickens through nasal and eye secretions, as well as manure. The virus can be spread in various ways from flock to flock, including by wild birds, through contact with infected poultry, by equipment, and on the clothing and shoes of caretakers.

The farm is under quarantine to stop the spread of avian influenza to other flocks in the state. The birds on the affected farm will be depopulated to prevent the spread of disease and will not enter the food system. Due to the severity of this avian influenza, anyone found trespassing on a quarantined farm will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

The avian influenza detection was the highly pathogenic H5 type, which is more severe and can cause high mortality in poultry flocks. It is the same strain confirmed in other states and wild birds in the Atlantic flyway.

It is not known exactly how the virus was contracted. Scuse encouraged all poultry flock owners to follow the strictest biosecurity on their farms to prevent the spread of the disease. Those steps include:
• Limit, monitor, and record any movement of people, vehicles or animals on or off your farm.
• Permit only essential workers and vehicles to enter the farm to limit the chances of bringing the virus from an outside source.
• Avoid visiting other poultry farms and any unnecessary travel off the farm.
• Disinfect equipment, vehicles, footwear, and other items that come into contact with flocks.
• Keep your flock away from wild or migratory birds, especially waterfowl.
• Isolate any ill animals and contact your veterinarian.

This finding is the first case of HPAI in commercial poultry in Delaware since 2004.

Positive test results were confirmed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Service Laboratory in Ames, Iowa. Preliminary testing was performed at the University of Delaware’s Allen Laboratory in Newark, part of the National Animal Health Laboratory Network.

For more information on avian influenza and protecting poultry, visit https://de.gov/poultry. Backyard flock owners who have sick or unusual deaths in their flocks should email Poultry.Health@delaware.gov or call (302) 698-4507.

Additional background
Avian influenza (AI) is caused by an influenza type A virus that can infect poultry (such as chickens, turkeys, pheasants, quail, domestic ducks, geese, and guinea fowl) and is carried by free flying waterfowl and wild birds, such as ducks, geese, raptors, and shorebirds. AI viruses are classified by a combination of two groups of proteins: hemagglutinin or “H” proteins, of which there are 16 (H1–H16), and neuraminidase or “N” proteins, of which there are 9 (N1–N9). Many different combinations of “H” and “N” proteins are possible. Each combination is considered a different subtype and can be further broken down into different strains which circulate within flyways/geographic regions. AI viruses are further classified by their pathogenicity (low or high)—the ability of a particular virus strain to produce disease in domestic poultry.

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Hunters, Poultry Owners and Poultry Producers Advised to Take Precautions

Cases of Eurasian H5 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) were detected in wild birds in Delaware in recent days, as the bird flu continues to spread in the United States. The United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) confirmed the Eurasian H5 strain of HPAI in eight wild ducks and a Canada goose in Kent County and one red-shouldered hawk in New Castle County. APHIS is working with federal and state partners, including the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) on additional avian influenza surveillance and testing.

All the ducks found to have HPAI – including five northern shovelers, one American wigeon, one black duck and a gadwall – were harvested by hunters and submitted to APHIS for sampling. The Canada goose was a mortality submitted for testing, while the red-shouldered hawk was tested for HPAI after it had been taken to Tri-State Bird Rescue for rehabilitation. These findings were not unexpected, as wild birds can be infected with HPAI but show no signs of illness. Eight other states in the Atlantic Flyway have found HPAI this year in wild birds, with it believed to be widespread in migratory waterfowl. Wild free-flying ducks, geese and shorebirds can carry the disease to new areas when migrating, as can raptors such as hawks and owls.

Avian influenza (AI), commonly known as “bird flu,” is a respiratory disease of birds caused by an influenza Type A virus. These viruses can infect poultry (chickens, ducks, quail, pheasants, guinea fowl and turkeys) and some wild bird species (such as ducks, swans, geese, shorebirds, hawks and owls), but are known to impact poultry and wild birds in different ways. While wild birds often can carry the AI viruses without becoming sick, AI in poultry is contagious and can make some domesticated birds very sick and even cause death. Avian influenza is not associated with the COVID-19 virus (SARS-CoV-2).

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers the risk to the general public from HPAI H5 infections to be low. No human infections with Eurasian H5 viruses have occurred in the United States. As a reminder, the proper handling and cooking of poultry and eggs to an internal temperature of 165°F will kill bacteria and viruses, including HPAI.

Precautions for Waterfowl Hunters
With the snow goose conservation order in effect through April 8, Delaware waterfowl hunters can reduce the risk of exposing poultry or pet birds to AI by taking basic safety precautions to keep the disease from spreading.

Protect Domestic Birds

• Dress game birds in the field whenever possible.
• If you must dress game birds at home, do so in an area inaccessible to poultry and pet birds. Ideally, there should be a solid barrier between the areas where game is cleaned and where domestic birds are housed.
• Keep a separate pair of shoes to wear only in your game-cleaning area. If this is not possible, wear rubber boots or shoes and clean/disinfect them before entering or leaving the area.
• Use dedicated utensils for cleaning game, whether in the field or at home. Do not use these tools around poultry or domestic fowl.
• Always wear rubber gloves when cleaning game.
• Double bag the carcass remains and feathers. Tie the inner bag and be sure to take off your disposable rubber gloves and leave them in the outer bag before tying it closed.
• Place the bag in a trash can that poultry and domestic fowl cannot access. The trash can should also be secured against any access by children, pets or other animals.
• Wash hands with soap and water immediately after handling game.
• Scrub all tools and work surfaces with soap and water.

Protect Yourself

• Do not harvest or handle wild birds that are obviously sick or found dead.
• Do not eat, drink or smoke while cleaning game.
• Wear rubber gloves while cleaning game or cleaning bird feeders.
• Wash hands with soap and water immediately after handling game or cleaning bird feeders.
• Wash all tools and work surfaces with soap and water.
• Avoid food cross-contamination. Keep uncooked game in a separate container, away from cooked or ready-to-eat foods.
• Cook game meat thoroughly; poultry should reach an internal temperature of 165 °F to kill disease organisms and parasites.

Precautions for Poultry Owners and Producers
Poultry owners or those working within the poultry industry should refer to guidance issued by the Delaware Department of Agriculture regarding increased biosecurity protocols. For additional information, visit de.gov/poultry. Any sickness or unusual deaths in backyard flocks and commercial poultry, should be reported to the Delaware Department of Agriculture’s Poultry and Animal Health Section at 302-698-4500, or after hours by calling 302-233-1480 for a disease emergency involving poultry.

To report groups of dead or sick waterfowl, shorebirds, gulls, hawks or owls, contact the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife’s Wildlife Section Wildlife Disease Program at 302-735-3600.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities, and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife conserves and manages Delaware’s fish and wildlife and their habitats, and provides fishing, hunting, wildlife viewing and boating access on nearly 68,000 acres of public land. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov; Nikki Lavoie, nikki.lavoie@delaware.gov

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