Birds suddenly started dying at farms in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia in recent months. Canadian officials confirmed the deaths were linked to a highly contagious bird flu that’s caused widespread outbreaks in the U.K.
Last week, the same pathogen was detected in over 40 mallards in New Hampshire, after reaching ducks in Florida, the Carolinas, Delaware and elsewhere along the Atlantic seaboard.
The virus does not typically sicken wildlife, and is not viewed as a risk to people, but it’s often deadly for domestic birds. In 2015, a similar disease ravaged farms in the Midwest, leading to the deaths of some 50 million chickens and turkeys.
Vermont state officials say bird owners can take steps to protect their animals.
“We know it’s here,” said Dr. Katelynn Levine, a state veterinarian with the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets.
"Right now we're ahead of it. Let's focus on preventing it from making that jump [to domestic birds] and we'll hope to come out of this after a long spring."Dr. Katelynn Levine, Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets.
"Right now we're ahead of it. Let's focus on preventing it from making that jump [to domestic birds] and we'll hope to come out of this after a long spring."
One way to do that is by keeping domestic birds away from wildlife as much as possible — restricting them to enclosures and limiting debris that might attract wild birds. It also means being conscientious about who is interacting with your animals.
“It’s a lot of the same precautions we took for COVID," Levine said. "Right now, everyone needs to stick to their own farms, with their own birds.”
No animals in Vermont have tested positive for the virus.
In New Hampshire, biologists found evidence of the virus in Rockingham County, near the coastline, and Grafton County, which borders Vermont. That's after testing broadly across the state, according to Daniel Bergeron, with the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department.
Levine stressed the importance of contacting the state if you suspect something is wrong with your flock. “PLEASE let us know,” she added by email.
Lexi Krupp is a corps member for Report for America, a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and regions.
