Overview
- Farm staff reported an unusual die-off of 862 birds and authorities confirmed the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain after Lab Level 2 testing, with samples sent to a Level 3 lab for isolation and sequencing.
- The affected commercial unit, which housed 225,860 laying birds, was fully depopulated and subject to sanitary disposal, cleaning and a definitive quarantine.
- Veterinary teams have fixed a 10-kilometer risk perimeter and are sampling all poultry units inside it while wildlife epidemiology specialists will inspect nearby bodies of water and migratory birds for the virus source.
- Officials say sequencing and the results of ongoing tests will determine whether emergency vaccination of neighboring flocks is authorized and when sentinel birds can be used to confirm safe repopulation.
- The government stresses the flock equals about 0.09% of the national inventory and that chicken and egg supplies are secure, but health authorities urge stronger farm biosecurity and reporting of unusual bird deaths because H5N1 has shown the capacity to infect mammals.