The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza in a backyard flock in New Hampshire, according to a March 17 USDA news release.
APHIS confirmed the presence of the avian flu “in a non-commercial backyard flock (non-poultry) in Rockingham County, New Hampshire,” the release said. The location was quarantined, and no birds from the flock will go into the food system. It was confirmed, as of March 17, there were 80 in the flock affected, according to the inspection service.
“APHIS will continue to announce the first case of HPAI in commercial and backyard flocks detected in a state but will not announce subsequent detections in the state,” the release said. “All cases in commercial and backyard flocks will be listed on the APHIS website."
HPAI is very contagious and often fatal to chickens, the APHIS website said. The avian flu can spread from flock to flock, but, as of March 7, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the risk to the general public’s health is low.
“Right now, the H5N1 bird flu situation is primarily an animal health issue,” the CDC said. “The U.S. Department of Interior and USDA APHIS are the lead federal agencies for this situation. They are respectively responsible for outbreak investigation and control of bird flu in wild birds and in domestic birds (poultry).”
People should cook poultry and eggs to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit, which is fatal to avian influenza viruses, the USDA said.
