The worst bird flu outbreak since 2015 has spread to just one state away. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported confirmed cases of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Idaho over the weekend. No cases have been reported in Oregon yet, but the proximity has local and state officials on alert.
“Although the situation continues to rapidly evolve, we have been fortunate not to have indications of widespread HPAI in the Pacific Flyway at this time,” according to an update released Tuesday by the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA). “ODA is also actively conducting avian influenza surveillance, and pursuing investigations on all reports of sick or dead domestic poultry including commercial and backyard flocks.”
According to the USDA, more than 30 million cases have been confirmed as of Thursday. In 2015, almost 50 million cases of bird flu were reported.
Here’s everything you need to know to help prevent the spread from wreaking havoc in our home state.
Ugh. Another virus? Really?
Yes, really. We feel ya. Workers and agencies at the local, state and national levels already have their hands full with the COVID-19 pandemic.
But if we do this right, Oregonians can reduce the chances of it spreading to our state, and not add to the already exhausting day-to-day that is living with a pandemic—plus an epidemic. Read on.
How much is this going to cost?
Let’s be honest, amid the steepest consumer prices spike since 1981, the last thing we want is to pay even more at the grocery store. Unfortunately, in the weeks heading into the Easter holiday weekend, Americans were spending 52% more for eggs since HPAI was first reported, according to Forbes.
Although the specific numbers in Oregon are a bit harder to come by, calls put into a few local grocery stores didn’t stir up any noticeable price difference, while the Bureau of Labor Statistics did show an increase of meats, fish, poultry and eggs by 2.3% in March over February, and more than 14% higher than last year.
The 2015 avian influenza (H1N1) cost the poultry industry more than $3 billion. On April 7, the Minnesota Legislature approved $1 million in emergency funds. In Oregon, according to ODA statistics from 2020, chicken and egg production was valued at nearly $73 million.
Can I still eat eggs? My family just scarfed down two dozen on Easter.
Yes. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, so long as you follow safe food handling and preparation, you’ll be fine. That means cleaning countertops and other surfaces where poultry products have been, and cooking to an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees.
But if it’s not in Oregon, does any of this really matter?
In March, the ODA reported that a bald eagle had been found dead in British Columbia that tested positive for the virus strain Eurasian H5N1. This is different from the flu strain spreading in the eastern and central parts of the United States. Although, H5N1 is also a highly pathogenic avian influenza.
So instead of bird flu coming from just the East Coast, there is actually potential of two separate strains spreading to Oregon.
“Because HPAI is spread by wild waterfowl, there is no way to predict whether it will make it into the Pacific Flyway,” according to Andrea Cantu-Schomus, communications director of the ODA. “The cases In Idaho are on the border between the Central and Pacific flyways, so they may still be part of the ongoing outbreak in the Central Flyway, or they may be an indication that the virus is present in the eastern portion of the Pacific Flyway.”
Oregon managed to avoid any cases of the avian influenza in the 2017 outbreak, when two strains occurred during the spring migratory season. But the outbreak in 2014–2015 moved up and down the West Coast.
If it stays out of Oregon, then we’re safe. But the point of this vigilance is to avoid the spread of bird flu in Oregon.
What does all this mean for Oregon poultry farmers?
As of 2020, Oregon didn’t even make up 1% of total U.S. production of eggs or chickens, according to the ODA. But anyone connected to poultry must be cautious right now, as always.
“OSU is keeping an eye on the avian flu news,” said Shelley Hansen, manager of Oregon State University’s Poultry Center on Harrison. “[We are] always aware of biosecurity.”
Biosecurity is, simply put, measures taken or put into place to help reduce or eliminate the chances of exposure to a biological agent, such as bird flu.
“The poultry research farm restricts visitors, we have disinfectant footbaths, hand sanitizer stations, coveralls,” Hansen said.
Local farmer Laura Sage, of Red Bird Acres, said she’s not too concerned with her small flock, none of which are boiler chickens – whole chickens used for cooking.
“It is a much bigger concern for large-scale confinement operations,” Sage said. “[A] much better solution is rearing birds outside on pasture in rotational low stocking density systems that promote robust health, low stress and allow for natural behaviors. That is by far the best way to protect flocks and food security.”
A U.S. Humane Society document concluded: “Genetic selection for productivity and the stressful, overcrowded, and unhygienic confinement of animals in industrial poultry production systems facilitate immune suppression in birds already bred with weakened immunity, offering viruses like avian influenza ample opportunities for spread, amplification, and mutation.”
I have some backyard chickens. What do I need to do?
It might be easy to blame large commercial operations, but that’s not always the case with bird flu. And since most backyard flocks do not require licensing through the state, biosecurity is “100 percent up to individual producers,” said ODA’s Cantu-Schomus.
During the 2014–2015 outbreak, according to the University of Minnesota Extension, “Highly pathogenic avian influenza affected only one commercial flock on the West Coast. The other cases occurred in what was considered backyard poultry flocks, which included a pheasant farm with over 5,000 birds.”
According to the ODA, Oregon had two HPAI detections in backyard flocks in 2014–15.
In the current outbreak, thousands of cases have been reported in backyard flocks. Not all of these cases have been found in poultry sold for food. As many as 104 “pet” chickens have been reported.
OSU’s Hansen said it’s not unusual for bird flu to pop up during the winter, but according to the USDA, most avian influenza viruses are classified as low pathogenic.
Hansen recommends the following practices for every flock owner:
- Quarantine new or returning birds before (re-)introducing them to the flock.
- If visiting other poultry, or ponds and fields where waterfowl are, do not walk into your home chicken pen in the same footwear.
- Have boots, even coveralls, that you use when working with your birds, that don’t go anywhere else.
- Don’t let strangers visit your birds if they’ve been around waterfowl or other poultry, or lakes and fields where they may congregate.
- Don’t encourage wild birds in your chicken pens.
- Wash hands before and after working with poultry.
What happens if a case is confirmed?
“If a case of HPAI is confirmed,” according to Cantu-Schomus, “ODA works closely with local officials to notify them of all disease control activities that will take place (including regional quarantines and surveillance testing in the area), but the authority to carry out those activities ultimately lies with ODA and the State Veterinarian.”
Which means, at this point, we’re essentially waiting.
If the word comes that Oregon does have a confirmed case, coordination falls on the Benton County Health Department, which is already, as you could imagine, fairly tied up with the pandemic.
“One pandemic or one epidemic at a time, please,” Benton County Public Health Director April Holland said.
Holland explained that Benton County Health Department is more focused on human pathogens, but would carry out communications with local agencies and the public as directed by the ODA if needed, or in the case of human transmission, from the Oregon Health Authority.
Of course, as Hansen notes, cases found in domestic poultry mean all of the flock must be euthanized, or “culled.”
Symptoms in chickens include coughing, gasping, and excessive diarrhea, then death. Other poultry may experience tremors, twisted necks, paralyzed wings, or lying down and pedaling.
I don’t have birds. I’m off the hook, right?
Sorta. As of Tuesday, more than 700 cases had been reported in wild birds on the USDA website.
Although you do not have to follow the same rigid rules set forth for biosecurity, you do need to be aware of potential risks, albeit small in comparison.
Let’s say you and your family go out to one of our beautiful natural areas or parks in the surrounding areas where geese are plentiful. If you and your kids get out and walk around, you might walk in bird droppings. By itself, this is not a big deal.
But, if on your way home, you decide to drop by to visit a friend because your kids want to see their new pullets, you could be putting your friend’s flock at risk.
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife gives the following guidance:
- Avoid touching wildlife. If you come into contact with wildlife do not rub your eyes, eat, drink, or smoke until after you wash hands with soap and water.
- Use disposable or washable gloves when cleaning or handling backyard feeders, bird baths, or other equipment. Wash your hands thoroughly after handling bird baths and feeders.
- If you find multiple sick or dead birds, or a sick or dead duck, goose, swan, or shorebird, call 866-968-2600 to report it – unless evidence shows it might have been injured by flying into something.
- To dispose of a dead bird, pick up the bird with an inverted bag or disposable glove, place the bird in another bag, and dispose of it in the trash. Trash receptacles should be secured so that children, pets, and wild animals do not have access to them.
You can also report dead birds via email at wildlife.health@odfw.oregon.gov.
Can the bird flu transmit to humans?
Yes, but it’s rare.
In March, the CDC reported that this year’s bird flu poses low risk to the public. As of Tuesday, no human cases had been reported. Usually cases reported in humans have been after “close, prolonged, unprotected” exposure to an infected bird, and even more rarely, exposure between two or more people.
Symptoms of bird flu in humans range from red eyes and mild flu to fever, sore throat, headache, shortness of breath, and even pneumonia requiring hospitalization. Laboratory testing is required to confirm infection, preferably during the first few days of illness, when swab tests are more accurate.
And now… a very brief but current history lesson:
The World Organization of Animal Health (OIE) has reported that in the 37 years between 1959 and 1995, 14 outbreaks of bird flu occurred. Between 1996 and 2008, the HPAI virus was seen 11 times — essentially, a severe outbreak almost every year.
The OIE report concluded that “densely populated poultry areas” (DPPAs), “which contributed to the devastating impact of HPAI emergence, [lead] to the loss of millions of birds, in Pakistan (1994), Italy (1999 to 2000), the Netherlands (2003) and Canada (2004). This was despite the fact that historical HPAI outbreaks in Pennsylvania in 1983 to 1984 had demonstrated how costly HPAI could be in a DPPA.”
Perhaps unrelated – perhaps not — on the National Chicken Council’s history webpage, in 1952, “The commercial broiler industry began its economic boom. By 1952, specially bred meat chickens (‘broilers’) surpassed farm chickens as the number one source of chicken meat in the United States.”
If you do the math, the rise in major outbreaks of bird flu started seven years later.
“By the mid-1960s, 90 percent of broilers produced came from integrated operations,” its website says. “Vertical integration would allow the broiler industry to take advantage of new pharmaceutical, biological and production technologies to become more efficient, responsive, and profitable.”
By Peggy Perdue
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