Wahkiakum HHS provides resources to local farmers as bird flu moves to cattle

A new wave of infection among wild birds and commercial poultry is spreading across the U.S. Known as “Avian Influenza A” or “bird flu H5N1” or “bird flu,” the virus began infecting wild birds in the 1990s and has made its way around the world. According to Yale Medicine, sporadic outbreaks of the bird flu have been seen worldwide over the decades and have primarily been exclusive to birds and poultry. The virus that is currently affecting the U.S. and other countries is a variant of H5N1 and is referred to as Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). The latest ongoing outbreak was first detected in the U.S. in 2021 and spread in wild birds across the country and then hit the commercial poultry industry hard in 2022.

HPAI has been prevalent in commercial poultry since 2022 and has been devastating flocks since. According to the Center for Disease Control, 100,707,371 commercial and backyard birds have been affected as of July 26. In addition to this loss, this new strain of bird flu is unlike previous strains in its behavior: it’s spreading to cattle and humans. As of July 25, 2024, the CDC website shows 13 states with confirmed cases of HPAI in cattle: Idaho, Texas, Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan, Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Ohio, South Dakota, and North Carolina. Since March, a total of 172 outbreaks have been confirmed in cows although there have been no reports of death among cows infected with HPAI. In April 2024, the U.S. saw the first case of HPAI in a person; it is believed that the dairy worker was in contact with infected dairy cows in Texas and is assumed to be the first instance of mammal to human spread of the HPAI virus. As of July 19 there have been 10 confirmed cases in humans in Colorado, Texas and Michigan. Four cases are associated with exposure to sick dairy cows and the other six are believed to have been contracted from infected poultry. All cases were reported as mild illness.

While HPAI has not yet made its way to Washington in 2024, it has been found here in previous years in wild birds and wild animals. Right now, there are no confirmed cases of HPAI in any cattle, poultry, or wild birds in Washington State, giving Washington farmers a chance to prepare and start putting precautionary measures in place. Those with backyard flocks are also urged to take precautions. Emily Anthes, a science reporter for the New York Times, explains why: “as [wild birds] are traveling over a poultry farm, if they happen to go the bathroom in a pond the chickens on the farm are using or they eat some of the feed the chickens on the farm are eating, they can leave the virus behind.”

Livestock owners and farmers are being encouraged to put biosecurity measures in place. Brandi Beedle with Wahkiakum Health and Human Services discussed the need for county-wide precaution, “Prevention is our main focus; we would like to keep it out of Wahkiakum.” Beedle gives an in-depth review on how farmers and backyard flock owners can take the steps to implement these biosecurity measures into their daily routines. Simple steps such as feeding young animals first and performing all care for sick animals last are crucial for minimizing spread of any illness. Another important preventative measure to take is to quarantine any sick animals and also any animals that are either new or returning to the farm. “Another [important step] for the backyard farmers is to try to limit exposure to wild birds [by] making sure you have covered chicken runs and not allowing your ducks to range in bodies of water where wild birds also frequent,” says Beedle. She also points out that a lot of people are already taking many of these measures, and encourages them to keep it up. A few more very important steps to take are making sure to keep separate boots for cattle facilities and the chicken coop, feeding chickens after cattle are fed, and always wearing PPE when treating any sick animals. HPAI is not in Washington yet so these steps may seem overwhelming, but Beedle assures that they are more simple than they appear and really are necessary, “It’s worthwhile to save the animals and prevent them from getting sick.”

The Wahkiakum HHS has been working hard to make sure local farmers have all the resources they need to successfully implement these preventative measures. If farmers believe any of their animals may have HPAI, they can contact their veterinarian and if the vet believes that testing for H5N1 is absolutely necessary, the Department of Health will provide testing at no cost to the farmers.