Fourth Deschutes County case of avian influenza found in bird flock; quarantine expands to Redmond

Will affect Deschutes County Fair; working on plan to still exhibit, sell market birds

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The Oregon Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal Plant Health Inspection Service confirmed this week the state’s ninth detection of highly pathogenic avian influenza in a non-commercial bird flock in Deschutes County, the fourth in the area.

The flock of approximately 40 birds is a mix of chickens and ducks, officials said Thursday. Like the previous three Deschutes County cases, this farm sold eggs and is classified as poultry by federal definitions and will require another expansion of the quarantine zone.

The latest confirmed case of HPAI in the Bend area will expand the existing quarantine area by approximately seven miles, running right through the middle of Redmond, including the fairgrounds.

The Deschutes County Fair and Rodeo begins August 3 and runs through August 7. ODA’s State Veterinarian, Dr. Ryan Scholz, says surveillance will not be done before the county fair begins, so he is working with Deschutes County 4-H on a plan that will allow participants to exhibit and sell market birds, but a show for breeding birds it is not possible during fair this year.

The regional quarantine encompasses the city of Bend and much of the surrounding area. For your convenience, ODA provides an online map of the quarantined sites in Oregon. People may also enter their address using the online tool to determine whether their property is included in the quarantine area.

The purpose of the quarantine is to prevent the movement of poultry and poultry products from within the affected area giving state and federal officials time to conduct surveillance to ensure no additional cases of HPAI exist. The quarantine also applies to importing all birds from states where a state or federal quarantine is in place.

In partnership with ODA, the USDA humanely euthanized the chickens and ducks on the property to prevent the spread of the disease. Birds from the flock will not enter the food system. Officials said there is no immediate public concern due to the avian influenza virus detection. Avian influenza does not affect poultry meat or egg products, which remain safe to eat. As always, both wild and domestic poultry should be adequately prepared and cooked.

ODA advises commercial poultry farmers and backyard flock owners to be vigilant with biosecurity measures and surveillance. Preventing contact between wild birds and domestic flocks is the best way to protect domestic birds from this disease. It only takes a tiny bit of contact to transfer HPAI. Death or illness among domestic birds should be reported as ODA. Please report by calling 503-986-4711 (Alt Phone: 1-800-347-7028).

Please contact the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) for wild birds. Do not collect or handle the birds but report the incident directly to ODFW at 866-968-2600 or Wildlife.Health@odfw.oregon.gov.

For more tips on protecting your backyard flock, please visit the ODA online at Avian Influenza or en Español at Avian Influenza – Spanish.