Additional birds diagnosed with HPAI in Louisiana, more reports in Mississippi – Daily Leader

Trey Iles

Louisiana Division of Wildlife and Fisheries

BATON ROUGE — A number of captive birds in northeast Louisiana have died from H5NI Extremely Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), often known as chook flu, the Louisiana Division of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) introduced. The illness additionally was found and confirmed by the Nationwide Veterinary Companies Laboratory (NVSL) in October in hunter-harvested blue-winged teal in southwest Louisiana.

Birds from Avoyelles, Calcasieu, Morehouse, Ouachita and Richland parishes have examined optimistic.

HPAI has been detected in wild birds, home poultry, or each in 49 states and resulted within the loss of life of over 3,000 wild birds and practically 48 million home birds (poultry). Waterfowl can turn into sick and die from the illness, nevertheless, many birds are carriers that don’t present scientific indicators. LDWF routinely investigates stories of sick or lifeless chook occasions if massive numbers are impacted. Waterfowl species and pelicans are among the many birds that the illness is affecting.

The Mississippi Division of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP) has obtained many stories of sick or lifeless birds over the previous week. MDWFP workers has assisted USDA Wildlife Companies with taking samples from a few of these reported birds to submit for HPAI testing, and optimistic instances are anticipated to rise when outcomes are obtained. 

Many of the stories up to now have concerned sick or lifeless snow and Ross’s geese, however different species have additionally been impacted. Mississippi had optimistic detections in eight teal killed in the course of the Early September Teal season. 

The Heart for Illness Management considers H5N1 HPAI a low threat for public well being. Whereas the virus presents a low threat to people, you will need to keep away from contact with sick birds. Additionally, be aware that searching gear might transport the virus. In case you hunt waterfowl and have yard poultry, plan for added biosecurity measures  (http://www.bah.state.mn.us/media/HPAI-Discover-Yard-Closing.pdf) to maintain your flock wholesome.

Some normal security tips for hunters and others dealing with wildlife and their tissues embody:

• Don’t deal with or eat sick recreation.
• Area costume and put together recreation open air or in a well-ventilated space.
• Put on rubber or disposable nitrile gloves whereas dealing with and cleansing recreation.
• When finished dealing with recreation, wash palms completely with cleaning soap or disinfectant and clear knives, gear, and surfaces that have been uncovered to recreation with sizzling soapy water and a ten% bleach answer.
• Don’t eat, drink or devour tobacco merchandise whereas dealing with animals.
• All recreation needs to be cooked completely to an inside temperature of at the very least 165° F.
• Keep away from contact with surfaces that look like contaminated with feces from wild or home birds.
• Hunters mustn’t feed organs, viscera or carcasses to retrievers or go away carcasses to be consumed by different wildlife.

Another protecting measures embody:

• As a normal rule, observe wild birds from a distance, don’t try to deal with wild animals. Keep away from contact with home birds (poultry) that seem sick or have died.
• Individuals who work with poultry and wild birds ought to obtain the annual influenza (flu) vaccine. This motion reduces the potential for genetic adjustments in avian influenza, which can render the virus extra apt to contaminate individuals, thus rising the potential of pandemic influenza.

LDWF is continuous to observe for HPAI all through the state as will the MDWFP in Mississippi.

Different sources of knowledge regarding HPAI will be discovered on the following hyperlinks:

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Avian Influenza: https://www.fws.gov/avian-influenza

USDA Animal and Plant Well being Inspection Companies (APHIS): https://www.aphis.usda.gov/publications/animal_health/fsc_hpai_hunters.pdf

USGS Nationwide Wildlife Well being Heart: https://www.usgs.gov/mission-areas/ecosystems/avian-influenza

USDA APHIS: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/publications/animal_health/fs-manage-wildlife-prevent-ai.508.pdf