Don't know if anyone posted this yet. I just got it from Davis! Watch your flocks!
CAHFS Update on Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza – January 9, 2015Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) has now been diagnosed in additional backyard flocks in the state of Washington and in wild waterfowl in California (a gadwall duck sampled in Butte County). Please refer to following CDFA website for updated information on this evolving situation:
http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/ahfss/animal_health/avian_influenza.html Our CAHFS lab continues to assist the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) with testing both domestic and wildlife for Avian Influenza. As an official member lab of the National Animal Health Laboratory Network, we are able to rapidly diagnose Avian Influenza as well as many other foreign animal diseases that threaten our livestock and poultry populations. Our winter months in California are considered “flu season” for Avian Influenza, and we now know that these viruses are circulating in our wild waterfowl species(geese, ducks, etc.). While these viruses usually do not cause disease in wild waterfowl, they are very likely to transmit the disease to domestic poultry primarily through fecal contamination. Please do all you can to protect your birds from exposure to wild waterfowl, routinely exercise biosecurity, and monitor your birds for signs of illness. All of our CAHFS labs provide free diagnostics of up to two birds from backyard flocks (chickens, turkeys, waterfowl and squab) of up to 1000 birds; including free testing for Avian Influenza. If you observe signs of illness or increased mortality in your flocks, please call your private veterinarian, the CDFA Sick Bird Hotline at 866-922-2473, or submit them to the nearest CAHFS lab. You may report diseased or dead wild waterfowl to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife at (916) 358-2790. CAHFS Notice – December 24, 2014Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) has been diagnosed in a small backyard flock in Oregon and wild birds in Washington state. For up-to-date information on the outbreak and avian influenza in general please go to the California Department of Food & Agriculture’s AI information page at
http://cdfa.ca.gov/ahfss/Animal_Health/Avian_Influenza.html.
Of importance are the following fact sheets:· Biosecurity for backyard and pet birds,
http://cdfa.ca.gov/ahfss/Animal_Health/pdfs/AI/BiosecurityForBackyardAndPetBirdsOnly.pdf· Biosecurity for feed and pet stores,
http://cdfa.ca.gov/ahfss/Animal_Health/pdfs/AI/BiosecurityforfeedandPetStores.pdf· Signs of disease in pet birds,
http://cdfa.ca.gov/ahfss/Animal_Health/pdfs/Disease_Recognition_Pet_Birds_Eng_120105.pdf· Signs of disease in poultry,
http://cdfa.ca.gov/ahfss/Animal_Health/pdfs/Disease_Recognition_Poultry_ Eng_120105.pdf Please note that all avian influenza PCR testing for wildlife, pet birds and commercial birds is paid for by the National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN). For urgent concerns, please call CAHFS at530-752-8700
