MANHATTAN, Kan. — The Kansas Department of Agriculture, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA–APHIS), has identified highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in two egg layer facilities — one in Rice County and one in McPherson County, according to a media release from the Kansas Department of Agriculture.
This marks five cases of HPAI in Kansas this fall; since the start of the outbreak in 2022 there have been 21 cases of HPAI in Kansas.
KDA is working closely with USDA–APHIS on a joint incident response at the affected premises in the two affected counties. According to KDA’s animal health officials, the facilities both increased their biosecurity upon the initial HPAI outbreak in 2022 and have been continuously monitoring their flock. Upon noticing clinical signs of HPAI in their birds, they immediately contacted KDA. The affected premises were placed under quarantine and the birds will be humanely depopulated and disposed of in an approved manner to prevent the spread of the disease.
In addition, KDA will be establishing a 20-km surveillance zone around the infected premises, and other farms or properties with poultry that fall within that zone will not be allowed to move birds or poultry products on or off their property without permission from KDA. The animal health team is working to locate all poultry owners in the area to ensure they know the symptoms of HPAI and are taking critical steps to protect their birds. If you own poultry and live in McPherson or Rice counties, please contact KDA at 833-765-2006 or KDA.HPAI@ks.gov. You can also self-report your birds at https://fs22.formsite.com/KansasDeptAg/zlb9fcr9oc/index.html.
This outbreak of HPAI is primarily spread by migrating wild waterfowl, so a critical part of protecting your flock is to establish separation between your domestic birds and wild birds as they migrate through your region. Anyone involved with poultry production from the small backyard chicken owner to the large commercial producer should review their biosecurity activities to assure the health of their birds. Find guidance on biosecurity on the KDA Division of Animal Health webpage at agriculture.ks.gov/AvianInfluenza.