570,000 Nebraska Chickens to Be Killed in ‘Humane Manner’ After Contracting Bird Flu: Officials

A flock of chickens are seen at Springfield Farm in Sparks, Md., on Nov. 17, 2012. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

Over 500,000 chickens in Nebraska are set to be killed in a “humane manner” after contracting bird flu, the state Agriculture Department announced on March 22.

The Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) made the announcement in a press release in conjunction with the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).

Officials said that the case of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) —also known as “bird flu”—was confirmed in a commercial flock of 570,000 broilers in Butler County.

The farm is now “under NDA quarantine” and the birds will be “humanely depopulated and disposed of in an approved manner,” NDA said. Additionally, officials will also be establishing a 6.2-mile control zone around the infected premises.

“Premises with poultry that fall within that control zone will not be allowed to move birds or poultry products on or off their premises without permission from NDA,” officials said.

HPAI is a highly contagious viral disease that mainly affects birds, although it has been discovered in pigs in China, Indonesia, and Vietnam, dogs in Thailand, domestic cats in Germany, among others, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

In domestic poultry, it can prove deadly.

Since 2003, an Asian HPAI virus has resulted in high deaths in poultry and wild birds throughout Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Africa. However, the risk of humans contracting HPAI is still low.

So far, there have never been any human cases of HPAI detected in the United States but such cases have been reported in Indonesia, Vietnam, and Egypt in Canada, in an individual who had traveled to China.

Although human infections with this virus are rare, approximately 60 percent of those individuals who contracted the virus have died, the CDC says.

HPAI spreads easily among birds through nasal and eye secretions, as well as manure, and can be spread from flock to flock through contact with infected poultry, equipment, or the clothing and shoes of those caring for the birds, according to NDA.

While wild birds can contract and carry the virus without showing signs of sickness, domesticated birds can become very ill.

Officials said that the farm in Butler County had boosted its biosecurity and began doing more observational testing of the chickens after the initial threat of HPAI in the United States. After noticing a “larger than normal” death loss among the chickens, the farmers immediately quarantined their facility and contacted NDA, officials said.

The virus was initially discovered on March 7 in a wild goose in Lincoln, Neb., but additional cases were later discovered in a backyard flock of chickens in Merrick County and in wild geese in Cedar and Douglas counties, according to an earlier press release.

“Having a second farm in Nebraska confirmed to have HPAI is unfortunate, but not completely unexpected,” NDA Director Steve Wellman said in the release. ”NDA will use all the resources at our disposal, in coordination with our federal partners to manage a quick response.”

Symptoms of HPAI in poultry include decreased egg production or producing eggs that are soft-shelled or misshapen, decreased energy and appetite, drinking less water, nasal discharge, coughing, sneezing; incoordination; and diarrhea, although sudden death can also occur in birds who are not displaying symptoms.

Officials noted that HPAI can also survive for weeks in contaminated environments and stressed the importance of keeping such areas clean and disinfected.

This latest announcement from Nebraska officials means more than 13 million chickens and turkeys in at least eight states have been killed or will be destroyed soon, the Associated Press reports.