Bird flu detected in Long Island flock

Poultry farmers in New York have been asked to stay alert for bird flu after it was detected in a flock in Long Island.

The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets issued a press release over the weekend asking poultry farmers to “increase their biosecurity measures to help prevent the spread of” bird flu.

According to the department, a flock of eight birds in Suffolk County were found to have been infected.

“The Department is working closely with USDA APHIS on a joint incident response,” said the agency.

This announcement comes one week after bird flu was detected in Kentucky and Virginia. The U.S. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) said two infected flocks would be quarantined and killed.

Bird flu was also detected in a flock of 240,000 birds owned by Tyson Foods in Kentucky last week. The affected birds will be killed and will not enter the food system.

“We are actively working with state and federal officials to prevent the spread of the virus,” a Tyson Foods spokesperson said. “Although the origin of the infection is not known, avian influenza has been found in migratory wild birds which play a significant role in spreading the disease.”

No cases in humans have been detected in the U.S. yet.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that these infections do not present an immediate public health concern, which the Department of Agriculture and Markets reiterated in its statement.

“These recent HPAI detections in birds do not present an immediate public health concern,” said the department.