Hens in cages at an industrial farm (Getty Images/Minnesota Reformer).
State and federal agriculture officials are working to prevent the spread of highly contagious bird flu from a Lehigh County poultry farm where the virus has been found in a commercial chicken flock for the first time in nearly a year.
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture has been on alert for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) infections since an outbreak across the United States in 2022. The infections in a 50,000 bird egg-laying flock in eastern Pennsylvania are the first in a commercial chicken flock since February 2024, the department announced Monday. The virus was more recently found in an infected backyard chicken flock in October.
The Agriculture Department has quarantined the affected farm, nearby poultry farms and restricted movement of chickens and poultry products within a 10 kilometer radius as part of an interagency response to help prevent the virus from spreading.
“Protecting our poultry and dairy industries has been, and continues to be Pennsylvania’s top priority,” Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said in a statement, adding that with the new infections, “the threat is clear and heightened.”
Lehigh County is one of two sites in the Lehigh Valley where large numbers of dead geese now confirmed to have been infected with HPAI were found in late December. Fish and Game Commission officials earlier this month discovered more than 5,000 additional dead snow geese at a quarry near Nazareth in Northampton County.
The infections are not a risk to the general public and poultry and eggs are safe to eat if they are cooked properly, but HPAI is highly infectious and usually fatal for domestic birds. Dairy cattle in other states have been infected by HPAI but cows are generally not affected to the same degree as birds. No infections have been reported in humans or cattle in Pennsylvania. Pasteurized milk is safe to consume, the Agriculture Department said.
“Vigilant biosecurity on both poultry and dairy farms and on any farm that raises birds is the key to minimizing the spread of the virus,” Redding said in the statement. “Throughout the outbreak, the Shapiro Administration has worked to protect Pennsylvania farmers and our dairy and poultry industries from HPAI. Our close coordination and support from the federal government has been critical, and we must continue working together at all levels to combat this virus.”
First found in China in the 1990s, the H5N1 strain found in current HPAI outbreaks appeared in North America in 2014. Since then it has caused the deaths of poultry worth billions of dollars and caused sharp fluctuation in the prices of chicken and eggs.
Human cases of HPAI in other states have been mainly among agricultural workers with close contact with infected poultry and dairy cattle, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. HPAI presents a very low risk to human health, the CDC said.
The response plan includes education and public outreach, as well as minimizing risk though strict biosecurity measures and continued surveillance, testing, and farm management.
If you suspect your poultry is infected with avian influenza, please report your concerns 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to the Pennsylvania Bureau of Animal Health and Diagnostic Services at 717-772-2852, option 1. Farmers or residents with backyard chicken flocks should check the Pennsylvania Animal Diagnostic Laboratory System website for information on areas where control and surveillance measures are in effect.
Anyone who encounters a sick or dead wild bird is asked to report it to the PA Game Commission at 1-833-PGC-WILD (1-833-742-94530.
People in contact with sick or dead birds who are not feeling well should contact a physician or the Pennsylvania Department of Health at 877-724-3258.