Biosecurity Key to Containing Spread of Bird Flu

LITTLE ROCK - For most of 2024, Arkansas was spared from the spread of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), also known as bird flu. In December, however, the virus was confirmed in six Arkansas backyard poultry flocks and one commercial poultry operation.Dustan Clark, extension poultry health veterinarian for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and associate director of the university's Center of Excellence for Poultry Science, said HPAI was confirmed in a backyard/hobby flock on Dec. 9. Five more backyard flocks in Lafayette, Craighead, Jackson, Pope and Sharp counties have since tested positive.On Dec. 30, the virus was confirmed in a commercial broiler farm in Clay County.There has also been confirmation of HPAI in a peregrine falcon in Lonoke County.In neighboring Louisiana, a person who had been hospitalized with severe avian influenza died this week, becoming the bird flu death reported in the U.S., according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As of Jan. 6, there have been 67 confirmed human cases of H5N1 bird flu in the United States since 2022, according to the CDC.HPAI is an airborne respiratory virus that spreads easily among chickens through nasal and eye secretions and manure. The virus can be spread from flock to flock, including by wild birds, through contact with infected poultry, by equipment, and on caretakers' clothing and shoes.The potential losses and costs associated with HPAI outbreaks make it extremely important for commercial and backyard/ hobby poultry flock owners to protect their flocks. According to the latest Census of Agriculture conducted in 2017 for Cleveland County by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, poultry and egg production were estimated at $126,765,000."The keeping of small flocks of poultry continues to be one of the fastest growing hobbies in the United States," Clark said. "If you have a small poultry flock or are thinking o...