LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – Nevada agriculture leaders say they are “aggressively testing” for bird flu throughout the state. Everything from cattle to chickens to wild birds and even wild animals are being tested to better understand where the virus is present. This comes as a Nevada dairy farm worker tested positive for bird flu this week and Nevada being the first and only state to have detections of a new variant of the virus.
“We are the only state that has D1.1 confirmed. To this point, we have six herds in Northern Nevada… and I do expect that number to grow,” revealed Dr. J. J Goicoechea, Director of the Nevada Department of Agriculture. Dr. Goicoechea says the fight against bird flu is daunting.
“Biggest challenge for us is biosecurity right now, especially when we are talking H5N1, this variant that we’re dealing with in Nevada. Now, D1.1. It is literally falling out of the sky. The wild birds have it. The Pacific Flyway was the first to see it in August and September of 24’. Now it’s in all four flyways,” Dr. Goicoechea reported. As infected wild birds fly over or stop at farms, their droppings can infect livestock. Dr. Goicoechea says birds are beginning to migrate north as we move into spring. They are working with wildlife services to put things like air cannons out on dairy farms to scare away migrating birds.
“We are worried about European Starlings and how and how they may or may not be bringing that virus on and off of premises. I can tell you that we estimate we had 100,000 starlings in Fallon [where the dairy worker was infected] as of Monday so that is a lot of birds. How do you control them from coming on and off the premise?,” Dr. Goicoechea questioned. When it comes to wild birds, Dr. Goicoechea says they are seeing bird flu across the board.
“Everything from raptors to ducks to geese to have been testing positive for it… If they find any dead birds they’re testing. They’re also doing some capture and release of wild species. This is everything from birds to raccoons to skunks, foxes. We want to know if it’s other mammals as well, and not just the birds,” Dr. Goicoechea stated.
The AG Director says they are testing every dairy farm in the state to make sure they don’t miss the virus. Six dairies have had positive milk. Pasteurization kills this virus and makes it safe to drink. While Nevada doesn’t have commercial poultry farms, backyard chickens in all 50 states have tested positive for bird flu including here in Nevada.
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