Bird flu found in wild ducks in N.H., indicating spread beyond Midwest and Southeast; Ky. is composting chickens

UPDATE, Feb. 18: "A dangerous strain of avian flu has been detected in wild ducks in New Hampshire, raising concern among poultry producers in the region," David Brooks reports for the Concord Monitor. "Eurasian H5 was detected this month in 20 mallards in Rockingham County that were 'collected through normal surveillance activities,' New Hampshire Fish and Game has reported. This appears to be the first time the disease has been detected north of Delaware, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture statistics." Meanwhile, Kentucky temporarily suspended certain restrictions on trucks "delivering wood chips for composting chickens."

Original item, Feb. 15:

A Tyson Foods farm in Kentucky and a backyard flock in Virginia "were confirmed to have birds infected with a highly lethal form of avian flu, federal agriculture officials said Monday, days after a flock of turkeys in Indiana tested positive" and was destroyed, The Washington Post reports. The Kentucky outbreak was near Fulton, on the Tennessee border, so that state also went on alert.

The last national bird-flu outbreak, in 2015, killed about 50 million birds. "The outbreak also led to a $1.1 billion decrease in exports of broiler chickens in 2015, compared with the prior year," Andrew Jeong reports for the Post. "Egg export income declined by $41 million, while income for turkey export fell by $177 million during the same period."

The disease poses no food-safety risks, as long as poultry and eggs are properly cooked, but birds from flocks identified with it will be banned from the food system. No human cases of bird-flu viruses have been detected in the U.S.

"Anyone involved with poultry production from a small backyard to a large commercial producer should review their biosecurity activities to ensure the health of their birds," the Kentucky Department of Agriculture said in a news release. "In addition to practicing good biosecurity, all bird owners should prevent contact between their birds and wild birds." More information on biosecurity for backyard flocks is at http://healthybirds.aphis.usda.gov.