By Marcy Stamper
More than 5,000 birds — mostly game birds, plus a small flock of chickens and ducks — were euthanized last week to keep avian influenza from spreading to birds beyond two areas in central and northern Okanogan County.
The two areas — one in Riverside, where 5,000 birds were raised for hunters, and one in Oroville, where there were 100 chickens and ducks — remain under quarantine, according to Douglas Hale, environmental health specialist for Okanogan County. The illness was confirmed in Riverside on Jan. 27 and in Oroville on Jan. 31.
About 50 birds had already died at each location from this strain of avian flu, which is highly contagious among birds but has no documented transmission to humans in North America, according to Okanogan County Public Health.
The avian disease is unrelated to the strain of human flu that has sickened people this winter. As a precaution, public health officials have offered prophylactic medication to people who had close contact with the two infected flocks, said Hale.
The Riverside flock that was euthanized consisted of 4,000 mallard ducks, 775 pheasants and about 200 mixed quail, chukar, geese and chickens, said Hale. They were raised for hunters, not for eggs or meat.
Both sites are under a 21-day quarantine — meaning no birds can be moved out of a 10-kilometer radius — and are being disinfected. They will be tested repeatedly before the quarantine is lifted, said Hale. Veterinarians and epidemiologists from the U.S. and Washington departments of agriculture assessed the flocks at each site before euthanizing the birds.
The virus is also known to occur in wild birds, and it spreads rapidly between wild and domestic birds. Other wild and domestic bird fatalities have been reported in the county but have not been linked to avian influenza. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is doing testing if it receives reports of sick or dead wild birds.
People who raise birds should maintain good sanitation in the birds’ housing and avoid direct contact with sick birds. Symptoms of avian flu in birds include a lack of energy and appetite; swelling in the head, eyelids and comb; coughing and sneezing; and uncoordination, said Hale. The virus is fast-acting and birds usually die within a few days of showing symptoms.
There is also no risk of transmission from eating cooked eggs or meat from infected birds, although people are advised not to handle or eat sick game, according to Okanogan County Public Health.
Avian flu has also been confirmed in birds in Clallam County. The disease was first confirmed in domestic poultry in Washington on December 24.
The Washington State Department of Agriculture is coordinating the effort around avian flu because of the possibility of transmission to the poultry industry. The department has set up a hotline for people to report death or illness in domestic birds at (800) 606-3056.
WDFW has a hotline where people can report sick wild birds at (800) 606-8768.
More information is available on the county’s website at www.okanogancounty.org/ochd or from WSDA at http://agr.wa.gov/FoodAnimal/AvianHealth.
