Agricultural officials across the state are urging people who keep domestic poultry to practice proper biosecurity measures amid an outbreak of bird flu. A strain of bird flu called Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, or HPAI, has impacted flocks in 29 Missouri counties since 2022 and led to millions of birds being euthanized.
Tatijana Fisher is a state poultry extension specialist with Lincoln University, and said now is the time to take extra precautions in order to keep flocks safe.
“Preventing visitors to your flock, keeping your flock away from other poultry and also away from wild birds as much as possible,” Fisher said.
She said that means now is not the best time to add new birds to a flock - especially adult birds. This is only one of many biosecurity measures Fisher and others say people can take, including changing shoes and clothes after interacting with birds and keeping an eye on flock health.
The Missouri Department of Conservation has cancelled all poultry and waterfowl swap meets, auctions and shows in impacted counties, and Fisher said she strongly recommends against buying birds from any auction, show or swap meet at this time as they could bring bird flu with them.
Though the flocks impacted in Missouri have primarily been commercial, Fisher said backyard flocks are also at risk - especially because wild birds can leave infected droppings in open areas where backyard poultry may run.
“This is a time where keeping them under some kind of a cover, even if it's not fully enclosed, but just have a covered run where the wild birds' droppings aren't coming down into an area where your birds can interact with them,” Fisher said.
What to do if you suspect bird flu
Guidance from the US Department of Agriculture and the Missouri Department of Agriculture encourages people with poultry flocks to closely monitor the flock for symptoms of avian flu, which can include respiratory and neurological symptoms such as wheezing or loss of coordination, as well as sudden death. Fisher said if large numbers of birds die within a flock, it’s important to notify a veterinarian or agricultural agency who can test for the virus.
“The first step is, if you really suspect bird flu, you can call your veterinarian, local extension office or Department of Ag - and both the Missouri Department of Ag and the federal USDA, they will have hotlines to deal with animal health issues,” Fisher said.
If bird flu is suspected in a flock, Fisher said the birds will be tested before action is taken. If a bird tests positive, the entire flock has to be depopulated.
“It's a virus that spreads very easily and has very high mortality. So it's going to kill a large percentage of the birds that become infected, whether you do anything to them or not. So at some level, it's a kindness to euthanize them before they go through the whole death process naturally from this virus,” Fisher said.
Keeping humans, pets and other livestock safe
So far in Missouri, there has only been one recorded case of bird flu in a human - that case was the first recorded case of a human contracting bird flu with no known animal exposure. Though health agencies are currently monitoring how the virus adapts, it’s not yet known to be transmissible between humans.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Missouri Department of Conservation both say bird flu poses a low risk to the public, but DHSS and other state officials say it’s important for those who have contact with birds to keep an eye on their health and contact a healthcare professional if they develop any flu-like symptoms after exposure to animals.
Because bird flu has been detected in dairy cattle and other mammals, Fisher said it’s also important to take precautions when keeping birds around other animals - especially dairy cattle. She said there is a long list of animals that share diseases and shouldn’t be kept together, such as chickens and pigs. Because of bird flu, Fisher said that list is growing.
“We used to not really be worried at all about keeping cattle with chickens,” Fisher said. “We're basically adding dairy cattle to a list of animals that we really shouldn't keep chickens with and the biggest thing when we say don’t keep them with each other is that you don't want them sharing a water source. You don't want your dairy cattle and chickens spending a lot of time together where they're interacting with each other.”
Fisher said cats have also tested positive for the virus, and recommends keeping pets away from flocks as much as possible.
What’s next for bird flu in Missouri?
Fisher says this outbreak of Avian flu is unprecedented - and many experts say bird flu might be here to stay. Because of this, Fisher said the agriculture industry is trying to find ways to adapt and manage bird flu as it continues to progress.
Though a bird flu vaccine exists for chickens, Fisher said it’s not fully approved in the U.S. due to lower effectiveness, decreased ability for virus testing, and restrictions on selling meat products from birds vaccinated against bird flu. However, she said this current outbreak is causing the industry to rethink - and on Feb. 14, the U.S. issued a conditional license for an avian flu vaccine manufactured by Zoetis.
“Some countries won't allow you to - they will not import vaccinated birds or they won't import meat from birds that have been vaccinated from bird flu. So it changes the whole landscape, potentially, if we do start vaccinating,” Fisher said. “But there's discussion about doing it, because at this point, this outbreak has gone on for three years and no previous outbreak has gone on that long. Usually they fizzle in the summer or in the winter, and, you know, it's gone for years.”
For now, Fisher said bird flu hasn’t had significant supply-chain impacts aside from egg pricing and availability, and there isn’t a concern about the safety of the food supply. In general, she said the only food products that carry a risk of containing the bird flu virus are raw poultry or meat products, such as raw eggs or milk. Fisher and other experts recommend avoiding raw dairy and poultry products, and advise against feeding raw foods to pets.
