Avian influenza found in Port Angeles backyard flock

The same strain of avian influenza that killed birds in two Benton County backyard flocks has been found in a backyard flock of chickens, geese and ducks on the west side the state.

A total of 118 birds in a Port Angeles flock were killed Sunday in an effort to halt the spread of the highly contagious, deadly avian flu. Humans can’t catch it, but birds that get it tend to die within three days.

Officials are advising backyard poultry and waterfowl owners in Washington, Oregon and Idaho to limit or eliminate any contact their birds have with wild waterfowl. The Port Angeles flock is the third backyard flock in Washington affected by the disease after having direct contact with wild waterfowl.

The Benton County outbreak was the first time avian flu has been found in a backyard flock in Washington. No one has found it in any commercial flocks.

Backyard flocks in Oregon and wild birds in Utah and California also have been diagnosed with avian influenza, said Alan Huddleston, a U.S. Department of Agriculture veterinary medical officer. There also is a possible case in an Idaho backyard flock.

Officials have been concerned all along that more cases of avian influenza might occur in the migratory pathways of wild waterfowl, a known carrier of avian flu, said Hector Castro, the state Department of Agriculture’s communications manager.

Birds from the Port Angeles flock had H5N2, the same strain of avian flu found recently in the Richland and Benton City flocks, in a pintail duck in Whatcom County and in outbreaks in Canada.

Keeping backyard birds away from wild waterfowl is the best preventative measure bird owners can take, Huddleston said.

The owner of the Port Angeles flock had contacted the state Department of Agriculture after a Sebastopol goose in the flock died last week, Castro said. Other birds in the flock already were showing symptoms of the disease, including lethargy and respiratory problems.

Wild ducks commonly flew onto the Port Angeles property and hung out with the geese, Huddleston said.

Port Angeles, with a population of about 19,100, is located near the Olympic National Park on the Olympic Peninsula. It’s separated from Victoria, British Columbia, by the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

Lab tests Friday confirmed the goose had avian influenza. A joint team of veterinarians and technicians from the U.S. and state Departments of Agriculture euthanized the remaining birds Sunday.

More than five birds already had died, Huddleston said. When the joint federal and state team arrived, five of the surviving birds were in makeshift hospitals.

The flock included nene geese, Hawaii’s state bird, Huddleston said. The owner raised the geese as a hobby. In the wild, nenes are considered endangered species.

Veterinarians connected carbon dioxide tanks to barrels to kill the birds. The gas knocked the birds out in seconds, and they died quickly. Many of the team members also had participated in the euthanization efforts in Benton County.

The flock owner will be compensated for the loss of the birds through a USDA program. The Benton City and Richland flock owners also are being compensated from the same program.

Similar to the Benton County outbreak, officials plan to establish a two-mile surveillance zone near the home of the Port Angeles flock. Veterinarians will visit properties in that area to ask to take samples from any domestic poultry and waterfowl to test for avian influenza to make sure that the disease has not spread.

Officials are investigating now whether any other backyard flocks had contact with the Port Angeles flock, Huddleston said.

A quarantine zone also will be established in Port Angeles. Officials still are working out the specific details, including the size and specific locations that will be under quarantine. The quarantine can’t be approved until at least Tuesday because state offices were closed Monday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Residents will not be able to move domestic waterfowl, poultry and poultry products out of the quarantine zone or to other properties within the quarantine zone. Cooked eggs and meat from infected birds are safe for humans to eat.

The quarantine is in part meant to reassure other nations that federal and state officials are taking the necessary steps to make sure the disease does not spread.

While avian flu has not been found in any commercial flocks, it is affecting the U.S. poultry and egg industry. Outbreaks in Washington and Oregon have caused some nations, including China, to ban all U.S. poultry and poultry products.

About 30 nations have placed some form of trade restrictions on U.S. poultry. Most have banned poultry and poultry products from Washington and Oregon, neither of which are large players in the national poultry industry. On Monday, Japan and the European Nation updated trade restrictions to ban poultry and poultry products from Idaho.

No new cases of avian flu have been found in Benton County birds, Castro said. Samples taken from flocks near the homes of the former Benton City and Richland flocks have come back negative for avian flu, which is a good sign.

Officials have finished visiting properties near the Richland and Benton City sites, Castro said. However, a team of USDA veterinarians still is in Benton County to respond to any new reports of sick or dying birds.

There is no new information on how much longer the quarantine that covers much of the Tri-Cities will last. The quarantine could be in effect for up to eight months, but officials were waiting to make a decision until they received the lab results from backyard birds within two miles of the Richland and Benton City flocks.

The chickens, turkeys, ducks, guinea fowl and other birds belonging to a Benton City backyard flock and a Richland flock were euthanized earlier this month to control the spread of disease. More than 700 birds from the two flocks — which had direct contact with each other — died in the past few weeks.

It’s likely the Benton City flock contracted avian flu from migrating wild waterfowl. The flock had access to a pond that also was used by wild waterfowl.

This story was originally published January 19, 2015 at 2:08 PM with the headline "Avian influenza found in Port Angeles backyard flock."