STEVENS COUNTY, Wash. — The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) confirmed that Stevens County saw its first case of avian flu (HPAI) late last week.
Up until last month, it was nearly a year since domestic flocks in Washington had a case of HPAI. Since then, a total of five cases have been confirmed, with the latest two confirmed on Friday, Nov. 1 in Okanogan and Stevens counties.
WSDA urges bird owners to continue protecting their flock from the highly contagious pathogen that is being detected in neighboring states.
“While we had hoped to not see any cases this year, current trends suggest the virus is migrating this fall,” Dr. Dana Dobbs, Avian Health Lead for the Washington State Veterinarian’s office, said. “We must stay vigilant and prepared to respond for the coming weeks, and potentially months.”
WSDA asks flock owner within 6 miles of a surveillance zone to self-report the health of their flock on the online tool.
Flock owners can use this website to see if they are within the surveillance zone.
Veterinarians said the biggest risk is domestic or commercial birds having direct contact with contaminated waterfowl.
More information on ways to protect your birds, reporting signs of illness, or related news can be found in the WSDA press release.
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