The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza in a non-commercial backyard mixed species flock in Franklin County, Kansas.
Samples from the flock were tested at the Kansas State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory and confirmed at the USDA–APHIS National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa.
The Kansas Department of Agriculture is working closely with USDA–APHIS on a joint incident response. KDA officials quarantined the affected premises, and birds on the property will be depopulated to prevent the spread of the disease.
Anyone involved with poultry production from the small backyard chicken owner to the large commercial producer should review their biosecurity activities to assure the health of their birds.
Highly pathogenic avian influenza, or "bird flu," is a highly contagious viral disease that can infect chickens, turkeys and other birds and can cause severe illness and/or sudden death.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the recent bird flu detections do not present an immediate public health concern. No human cases of these avian influenza viruses have been detected in the United States.
The bird exhibits at the Sedgwick County Zoo and the Lee Richardson Zoo in Garden City have been closed due to the threat.
