Colorado On High Alert For Avian Influenza

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With many states being affected by the Avian Influenza - Colorado remains on high alert - especially as neighboring Nebraska has two locations that are confirmed Avian Influenza sites. Colorado State Veterinarian Dr. Keith Roehr  says poultry owners must take extra precautions to protect their flocks. Some of the precautions would include making sure domestic flocks- backyard birds and small flocks are not exposed to wild animals. This is recommended for both spring and fall months. Dr. Roehr explains that the virus exists in wildlife. Wild birds get the virus and survive, and they then continue to shed the virus into the environment.

As for the larger, commercial operators - Roehr says bio-security measures are a must. He says the Colorado Department of Agriculture has drafted suggested bio-security practices for any producer who would like to obtain them.

Nebraska is the closest state with the Influenza, they have two confirmed cases. 

Minnesota has been the hardest hit state with  a total of 85 farms in 21 Minnesota counties have been affected by avian influenza. Over 5.6-million birds have been depopulated.

Mercola.com states  Tree large egg-producing states in the US are in the midst of an avian flu outbreak. Iowa—where about 20 percent of all US eggs are produced—declared a state of emergency on May 1.
 
Minnesota and Wisconsin declared states of emergency last month, and dozens of countries have imposed partial or total bans on US poultry. 

It's estimated that 25 percent of all chickens in Iowa have been infected, and millions of chickens and turkeys in the three states have already been killed in an effort to contain the disease. 

In this case, two different strains of avian influenza have been detected in chicken CAFOs across the US. The H5N2 strain is circulating in Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington, and Wisconsin, while the H5N8 strain is found in California and in Idaho. 

And, while there are safeguards in place to contain deadly disease outbreaks from spreading, poultry veterinarians note that those strategies appear to have failed, as the influenza managed to spread across 14 states in five month




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