Birds from a commercial flock in New Castle County, Del., have been quarantined after highly pathogenic avian influenza was confirmed, as reported by a Feb. 23 U.S. Department of Agriculture news release.
The department's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service confirmed HPAI among the birds at the otherwise unidentified property, and the inspection service "is working closely" with Delaware animal health officials to come up with "a joint incident response," said the news release.
"State officials quarantined the affected premises, and birds on the property will be depopulated to prevent the spread of the disease," the release said. "Birds from the flock will not enter the food system."
Samples taken from the flock underwent testing at University of Delaware's Allen Laboratory in Newark, N.J., as part of the National Animal Health Laboratory Network. Test results were later confirmed by the inspection service's National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa.
Federal and state partners are working together on additional surveillance and testing in the areas around the flock as part of existing avian influenza response plans.
The USDA's news release came two days after Delaware announced that Eurasian H5 HPAI had been detected in wild birds in the state.
The U.S. has the world's strongest avian influenza surveillance, and USDA is working with partners seeking out the illness in commercial poultry operations, live bird markets and in migratory wild bird populations.
Recently reported HPAI detections in birds are not an immediate public health concern, and no human avian influenza cases has been found in the United States, according to information from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"As a reminder, the proper handling and cooking of poultry and eggs to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit kills bacteria and viruses," the USDA's news release said.
Bird owners can protect their flocks by preventing contact with wild birds and those known to be sick, as well as by reporting sick birds and unusual bird deaths to state or federal agencies, either through their veterinarian or calling the inspection service at 866-536-7593.
The inspection service is authorized under the Animal Health Protection Act to provide indemnity payments to bird and egg producers whose flocks must be depopulated as part of a disease response.
Anyone who would like more information may find it on the inspection service's website.
