Suara.com – Cases of bird flu have been found in commercial poultry in 7 states, following a bird flu case detected in Kalamazoo County, Michigan.
The USDA says that bird flu samples from state uploads were tested at the Michigan State University Animal Diagnostic Laboratory, part of the National Animal Health Laboratory Network.
Meanwhile, the existence of this bird flu case was confirmed by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) in Ames, Iowa.
The bird flu case in Kalamazoo County brings the total number of bird flu cases in the state to four, namely Michigan, Maine, Virginia, and New York. In addition, bird flu has also been detected in commercial livestock in Kentucky, Delaware and Indiana.
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In response to the outbreak, the USDA advised poor maintenance of biosecurity. Biosecurity is the key to maintaining the health of poultry and backyard birds.
Tips offered by the USDA for bird keepers include keeping visitors to a minimum and tracking people who visit your property.
Hygiene measures such as hand washing can stop the spread to humans and between birds.
In addition, tools and equipment for caring for poultry should also be disinfected after coming into contact with birds or with bird droppings. Items such as egg carton trays that cannot be cleaned should not be reused.
Reported from newsweek, Bird keepers must also protect themselves when handling their farm animals.
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The CDC adds that the best way to avoid bird flu is to avoid contact with infected poultry, especially avoiding direct, unprotected physical contact with sick poultry, poultry carcasses, and/or poultry droppings.
Meanwhile, people caring for poultry must wear personal protective equipment. The CDC adds that people who come into contact with infected birds should wear a properly fitted N95 respirator or higher.
One of the most important aspects of biosecurity recommended by the USDA is monitoring for signs of disease in poultry, including open mouth breathing, swelling of the combs and wattles, swelling of the legs, swelling around the eyelids, and a purple discoloration in any of these areas.