When officials recently confirmed a case of High-Path Avian Flu in a pig, it was in a facility with a lot of different animals. They say it complicated the testing process, but say it ultimately paid off.
“They had 70 birds on the farm. They were showing clinical signs of illness. They were tested for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza and found positive. They tested the animals on site. Out of an abundance of caution, the swine on site were not clinical, they displayed no clinical signs. But one of those pigs there were five pigs on site. One of them was positive for the virus and they euthanized those hogs to perform additional diagnostic analysis because this was the first detection in any hog,” said Dr. Megan Niederwerder.
This comes as another state adds a case to their dairy herds. Utah’s Agriculture Department says eight commercial dairies in the state have been affected, and all dairies with sick animals have been put under quarantine.
Officials have also asked the affected facilities to ramp up biosecurity measures.
