Chicken flock, wild bird infections linked to HPAI

The Mississippi Board of Animal Health reported Feb. 23 that a backyard poultry flock in Copiah County tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza, often referred to as HPAI or H5N1.

This is the second backyard flock to test positive for HPAI. The first confirmation was in Lowndes County in November 2022. There have also been two detections in commercial broiler flocks, one in Lawrence County in November 2022 and the other in Leake County in February. All affected facilities were quarantined, and the birds were depopulated to prevent spreading.

Poultry growers are encouraged to report sudden deaths in their birds.

HPAI is a highly contagious form of avian influenza that can kill entire flocks of infected poultry. The virus can occur naturally in wild birds and can be spread to poultry. There has been a rash of wild bird die-offs attributed to this disease.

Many wild birds, especially waterfowl, can be infected by HPAI and not show symptoms. However, since December 2022, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, a division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, has reported more than 150 wild bird fatalities related to HPAI in Mississippi. Many of the fatalities have been in black vultures and snow geese.

“Eighty-four percent of the analyzed U.S. detections in poultry premises and non poultry flocks are consistent with independent wild bird introductions,” said Dr. Jim Watson, state veterinarian. “The flyways of the Mississippi, Pearl River and Tombigbee rivers seem particularly affected. This means that the virus is in the environment in most of our poultry producing counties.”

HPAI prevention involves strict biosecurity measures from producers. Watson encouraged growers to secure poultry houses so wild animals have no points of entry. He also recommended that poultry producers have