Amber Itle

In the area of bird flu, when the Trump Administration took over earlier this year, the priority was moved from culling all infected birds to developing a vaccination.  Washington state Veterinarian Dr. Amber Itle said it’s important to remember what vaccines do and don’t do.   “So just lik...

Just because Bird Flu hasn’t been in the headlines recently, doesn’t mean the virus is no longer a concern for the Northwest farming community.  And one of the more recent concerns for the health community is farm workers that have come down with HPAI, both at dairy and chicken farms.  Washington state Ve...

Just because new cases have not been reported, does not mean the threat of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza has gone away.  Those words from Washington state Veterinarian Dr. Amber Itle who said the opportunity for exposure to bird flu will increase in the coming weeks as more and more migrating waterfowl cross the Northwest.   ...

On Tuesday, we told you the state of Washington achieved Stage Four status in the USDA’s National Milk Testing Strategy program.  The designation means the state’s dairy herd is free of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza.   Markus Rolli...

Last week, the Washington state Department of Agriculture announced the state had reached Stage Four status in the National Milk Testing Strategy (NMTS) program.  That status means no cases of bird flu or Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) have been confirmed in the state’s dairy cattle or milk supply.  The NMTS program, ...

With cases of bird flu in cattle reported across the western U.S., as well as cases in pigs and humans here in the Northwest, health officials are watching the H5N1 strain very closely.  But, why is this strain so devastating for domestic birds?   ...

The Washington State Department of Agriculture state veterinarian’s office has confirmed the presence of Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus type 2, better known as RHDV2, in rabbits on Lopez and Orcas Islands in San Juan County.  RHDV2 is a highly contagious, fatal disease of rabbits.  The rabbits s...

Highly Pathogenetic Avian Influenza has been on the minds of backyard poultry owners, as well as large scale operations since late 2022.  Dr. Amber Itle, Washington state Veterinarian said it’s very normal for these influenza viruses to circulate.  But what she ...

For the first time in seven years, the Washington State Department of Agriculture has confirmed equine infectious anemia in two horses.  The two horses come from separate farms in Yakima County but were together on one of the farms earlier this summer.  A priva...

Backyard bird owners across Washington, and the entire Pacific Northwest, are reminded to practice strong biosecurity measures as migration season starts to increase across the region.  The Washington State Department of Agriculture’s Dr. Amber Itle say...