Avian Influenza found in Utah flock

Taylorsville, Utah — A small flock of birds in Utah County were confirmed to have avian influenza or the bird flu, the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, UDAF, released Monday.

“Our state veterinarian’s office was notified of symptomatic birds in Utah County and our team was immediately dispatched to assess the situation,” said Utah State Veterinarian, Dr. Dean Taylor. “Proper steps have been taken to prevent further spread of the disease.”

According to the release, “UDAF officials have worked closely with the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Inspection Service (APHIS) on their incident response. The area in which the birds were located has been quarantined and the infected birds have been depopulated to prevent further spread of the disease.”

Anyone with birds located in Utah County should watch your birds for symptoms of HPAI, which include high death loss among flocks, nasal discharge, decreased appetite or water consumption, and lack of coordination in birds. If your birds are experiencing any of these symptoms, please contact the state veterinarian’s office immediately at statevet@utah.gov.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the recent HPAI detections do not present an immediate public health concern. No human cases of this strain of HPAI have been detected in the United States.