The Kansas Department of Agriculture said Monday that cases of avian influenza have been confirmed in a commercial turkey flock in McPherson County. This is the first case of bird flu in a commercial facility. The state has previously reported cases in four backyard poultry flocks.
The Department said it is working with the turkey farm, which has been placed under quarantine. The birds will be removed and humanely disposed of in order to prevent the spread of the disease. Agriculture officials said a 20-kilometer surveillance zone will be created around the infected facility, and other farms or properties with poultry that are within that zone will not be allowed to move birds or poultry products on or off their properties without permission.
The Department said its animal health team is working to locate all poultry owners in the area to inform them about bird flu and the symptoms. Poultry owners who live in the southern half of McPherson County, or the northwest corner of Harvey County, should contact the KDA at 833-765-2006 or they can go to the web site KDA.HPAI@ks.gov This includes poultry owners in the cities of McPherson, Moundridge, Buhler, Inman or Conway.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the cases of bird flu do not present an immediate public health concern and there have been no human cases detected in the United States.
