COLUMBIA, Mo.– Two turkey flocks in Missouri have been diagnosed with bird flu. The farms are located in Asbury and Fortuna. According to the USDA’s National Veterinary Services lab, this is the first time the H5N2 strain of avian influenza has been found in Missouri.
H5N2 is not nearly as virulent as other strains of avian influenza, says Jeff Firman, University of Missouri Extension poultry specialist.
“This is considered a high-pathogenicity strain, but is not something humans have gotten,”Firman says. “The human risk is probably quite low, but everyone always wants to be careful.”
The Missouri Department of Agriculture has quarantined the two farms. The remaining turkeys will be euthanized and will not enter the food supply. Firman says typically the birds would either be buried or composted within the poultry barn.
The two farms had more than 50,000 turkeys, but Firman doesn’t expect this to affect the state’s poultry industry.
While the number of birds on those farms may seem significant, Firman says, it represents a very small percentage of Missouri’s poultry industry. “In terms of the economic impact for the state, it will be minimal if it is contained right away.”
Firman says wild birds such as ducks or geese most likely brought the disease into the state. He says the biggest risk is to birds that are outside. He advises people with outdoor chickens to put them inside for a few days and keep an eye out for wild birds in the area.
“You should be careful about biosecurity and safety measures,” Firman says. “But I wouldn’t get too excited at this point.”
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