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Joint DE-MD Avian Flu info center explains how Jan. 10 outbreak was handled

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DENTON – Following a public health alert was issued Jan. 10 by the Caroline County Health Department after preliminary testing confirmed Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in the county, the Caroline Review has reported on the county and state responses to the situation.

We reached out to the Maryland Department of Agriculture for more information about the recent avian flu outbreak in six houses at a poultry farm near Ridgely. On Jan. 15, Stacey Hofmann of the Delaware-Maryland Avian Influenza Joint Information Center provided detailed answers to our questions about how the outbreak was contained, and how the large flock was depopulated.

CR: How many birds were disposed of at the six poultry houses?

SH: There were a total of 228,300 birds affected by highly pathogenic avian influenza at the Caroline County farm.

CR: How were they euthanized?

SH: Federal and state officials employ humane depopulation technologies that limit human exposure to the AI virus and better accommodate large-scale eradication efforts. One key to defeating the disease is speed. Quickly eliminating infected birds reduces the amount of virus in the environment and minimizes the risk of the disease spreading to and killing other birds.

The preferred depopulation methods for poultry are water-based foam and carbon dioxide (CO2). However, in certain circumstances, additional methods must be considered. In these situations, officials will carefully weigh a host of factors: disease risk, housing, environmental conditions, available resources and personnel, and other relevant factors. In some cases, the producer may decide to shut off the ventilation fans in operation to depopulate the birds quickly and end their suffering from the disease. These decisions are not made lightly. In any case, quickly depopulating the flock is more humane and more effective than a longer depopulation process, leading to an even greater number of birds being exposed and then suffering the terrible effects of the disease.

CR: How were they disposed of?

SH: There are a variety of safe methods for carcass disposal. We prefer to use on-site composting so that there is no chance that the virus will move off the premises. Federal and state partners evaluate disposal methods based on various factors, including the size of the flock, space requirements, associated costs, local conditions, and applicable laws/regulations.

CR: Will the farmer have recourse to state compensation?

SH: In general, yes. The Animal Health Protection Act authorizes USDA-APHIS to provide indemnity payments to producers for the birds that must be destroyed and their disposal. The farmer can also be compensated for cleaning and disinfection of the barns and other areas impacted by the virus prior to restocking. In order to be eligible to restock, the farmer must pass environmental sampling to ensure no virus is present and pass a biosecurity audit. Passing the biosecurity audit is also required to be eligible for any future indemnity payments if the farm were to contract avian influenza in the future.