Bird flu identified in backyard flock in Suffolk, officials say

Federal, state and local officials are investigating after a backyard flock of birds in Suffolk County tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza, a contagious strain of the bird flu.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the positive identification of the flu on Saturday after the first and only case in New York State was confirmed earlier that day. The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is working with New York animal health officials, the department said in a news release. A Suffolk official on Sunday said the county is also involved.

The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets declined to share where the flock was located, citing confidentiality reasons. The eight-bird domestic flock comprised chickens and guineau fowl, said spokeswoman Hanna Birkhead.

The flock's owner contacted the department when the birds began dying. In total, five died, Birkhead said.

The USDA initially described the flock as "non-poultry" since it was for "backyard pleasure," which doesn't meet the World Organisation for Animal Health’s definition of poultry, Birkhead said.

State officials quarantined the affected premises and the remaining flock will be euthanized to avoid spreading the virus, the news release said. Federal and state officials are surveilling and testing in areas that surround the infected flock.

Officials have stopped movement of poultry in and out of the area while they conduct additional surveillance, according to the office of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).

Part of the backyard flock was tested for the illness at the Cornell University Animal Health Diagnostic Center in Ithaca and confirmed at the USDA’s laboratory in Ames, Iowa. The three living birds from the flock were tested as a pooled sample, Birkhead said.

The virus has been found among birds in Virginia, Indiana and Vermont. Officials urged commercial and hobby poultry farmers alike to be cautious during the outbreak.

The recent bird flu detections don’t present an immediate public health concern, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. No human cases of these avian influenza viruses have been detected in the United States, the news release said.

Suffolk County Health Commissioner Gregson Pigott, whose department is working with state officials on the investigation, said human infection is "rare."

"The spread of avian influenza A viruses from one ill person to another has been reported very rarely, and when it has been reported it has been limited, inefficient and not sustained," Pigott said in a statement. "However, because of the possibility that avian influenza A viruses could change and gain the ability to spread between people, monitoring for human infection and person-to-person spread is extremely important for public health."

Ginnie Frati, executive director of the Evelyn Alexander Wildlife Rescue Center in Hampton Bays, on Sunday said the facility is monitoring the situation, with staffers wearing face coverings and gloves while handling animals and keeping new rescues separate longer than they normally would.

She noted the Tri-State Bird Rescue in Newark, Delaware, announced on social media Sunday it has suspended rescues as a bird there tested positive for a contagious disease, a situation she hopes to avoid.

"We are keeping an eye on birds that come in to see if they have any unusual, explained symptoms," Frati said.

With Vera Chinese and Rachelle Blidner

By Brinley Hineman

brinley.hineman@newsday.com

Brinley Hineman covers the Town of Hempstead and the City of Long Beach for Newsday. She previously was a reporter in Nashville, Tennessee, and is a West Virginia native.