WSDA Confirms Bird Flu In Mason County

On Tuesday, the Washington State Department of Agriculture confirmed the first case of bird flu in Mason County, northwest of Olympia.  The H5N1 case was discovered in a small backyard flock of ducks last week, but wasn't confirmed until Monday February 10th.

This case serves as another reminder for bird owners across Washington, and the rest of the Northwest, to take precautions to protect their flocks and practice good biosecurity measures.

“The virus remains present in the environment, and we continue to recommend enhanced biosecurity,” Dr. Dana Dobbs, Avian Health Lead for the Washington State Veterinarian’s office, said.

Flock owners within six miles (10 kilometers) of a detection are in a surveillance zone and are encouraged to self-report the health of their flock.  WSDA encourages flock owners to use the online surveillance self-reporting tool to facilitate self-reporting and visit the interactive map to check if you are in a surveillance zone.  State veterinarians want to contact every flock owner in a surveillance area to check on the health of their flock; self-reporting allows a veterinarian to make phone contact to discuss biosecurity and what symptoms to look for without having to make in-person contact.

State veterinarians say the biggest risk factor to date is direct contact with wild waterfowl. The Department of Ag said maintaining enhanced biosecurity involves keeping birds sheltered and restricting access to water sources where wild waterfowl gather and interact with domestic flocks. It is also a good idea to clean up any feed spills, limit visitors to the coop, and refrain from sharing equipment with other flock owners.

If your flock experiences sudden death or illness of multiple birds, call WSDA’s Sick Bird Hotline at 1-800-606-3056, or use the online reporting tool. Birds that have already died should be double-bagged and kept in a cooler on ice until WSDA veterinarians can arrange for sampling. Veterinarians also recommend not allowing scavenger birds to have access to dead domestic fowl, as this can further spread the virus. Sick or dead wild birds should not be touched or moved and can be reported using the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s online reporting tool.   

Since the first case of bird flu was confirmed in Washington May 5th, 2022, a majority of 55 affected flocks (three commercial, 52 backyard) have had contact with wild waterfowl.

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