'Highly pathogenic' Avian influenza detected in Suffolk County

Health official say the birds were part of a non-commercial backyard flock.

News 12 Staff

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Feb 19, 2022, 10:23 PM

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Updated 818 days ago

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Suffolk County health officials say eight birds tested positive for 'highly pathogenic' avian influenza in Suffolk County.

Health official say the birds were part of a non-commercial backyard flock.

Dr. Gregson Pigott, the commissioner of the Suffolk County Department of Health Services, released a statement regarding the avian flu:

"Avian influenza A viruses usually do not infect people although rare cases of human infection have been reported in the past. The spread of avian influenza A viruses from one ill person to another has been reported very rarely, and when it has been reported it has been limited, inefficient and not sustained. However, because of the possibility that avian influenza A viruses could change and gain the ability to spread between people, monitoring for human infection and person-to-person spread is extremely important for public health."

In a news release, the Suffolk County Health Department released best practices for those involved in poultry production:

Discourage unnecessary visitors and use biosecurity signs to warn people not to enter buildings without permission.
Ask all visitors if they have had any contact with any birds in the past five days.
Forbid entry to employees and visitors who own any kind of fowl.
Require all visitors to cover and disinfect all footwear.
Lock all entrances to chicken houses after hours.
Avoid non-essential vehicular traffic on-farm.
After hauling birds to processors, clean and disinfect poultry transport coops and vehicles before they return to the farm.
Report anything unusual, especially sick or dead birds, to AGM.

Click or tap here to read the full release.