ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — Birds kept in the backyard of two Missouri residences in December were confirmed to have highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), or bird flu, according to the Missouri Department of Agriculture.
An Audrain County resident had 330 of their poultry test positive for the virus on Dec. 28. A St. Louis County resident with a non-poultry backyard flock, or a flock kept for the usage of a single household, had 20 birds test positive for the virus on Dec. 12.
The cases were uncovered after owners reportedly noticed a sudden increase in deaths within the flocks and notified local veterinarians, said MDA representative Christi Miller.
"It is really difficult to know how flocks are exposed to HPAI," Miller said. "Most likely, wild birds are the culprit. Wild birds are carrying the virus as they migrate south. We encourage producers to tighten their biosecurity, such as not allowing backyard flocks to access the same drinking water as wild birds."
Infected birds were killed in an attempt to stop the spread of the lethal virus and to decrease the suffering of the remaining birds. Miller also stressed that the carcasses of the infected birds did not enter the food supply and that poultry products remain safe to eat.
HPAI spread throughout chicken and turkey populations throughout the country since it was first detected in Indiana on Feb. 8, 2022, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Since then, the virus has affected nearly 80 million birds in 47 states, 457 of which were flocks used in commercial food production.
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