USDA Lifts Deschutes County’s HPAI Quarantine
The USDA has approved the Oregon Department of Agriculture’s request to lift the regional bird flu quarantine in Deschutes County. ODA implemented the quarantine on July 12th after confirming highly pathogenic avian influenza in a backyard flock of chickens and ducks. Six cases of HPAI were confirmed in the Central Oregon county between July 12th and 22nd.
Because four of the affected flocks were backyard producers, selling eggs to the public, a regional quarantine was implemented covering the city of Bend and extending north through the southern half of Redmond. According to ODA, the purpose of the quarantine is to prevent the movement of poultry from within the affected area giving state and federal officials time to conduct surveillance to ensure no additional cases of HPAI exist. The quarantine also applies to importing all birds from states where a state or federal quarantine is in place. The quarantine was lifted after ODA completed two rounds of surveillance in the affected area starting after the humane euthanasia and disposal of the infected birds.
A map of all active outbreak areas in Oregon as well as the quarantine areas is available online.ODA is asking backyard poultry owners to please increase biosecurity and keep domesticated birds separated from wild birds, especially waterfowl. The risk of HPAI to human health is low, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If you have poultry that appears sick or has died of respiratory or neurological disease, please call 503-986-4711 or email AHHotline@oda.oregon.gov.
The state has confirmed 11 cases of HPAI in 5 Oregon counties. A quarantine remains in place for Coos Bay.
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