Central Oregon Backyard Farm Pig Is First Ever Diagnosed With Bird Flu in The US
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), who worked with the Oregon Department of Agriculture on the matter, announced on Wednesday that a pig on a small backyard farm in Crook County was found to be infected with the H5N1 virus which causes avian influenza, also known as bird flu.
This is the first-ever known case of bird flu in swine in the US but officials said they are not concerned about the nation’s pork supply safety.
Bird Flu Found In Central Oregon Pig
The USDA confirmed that at least one of five pigs at a Crook County farm tested positive for the H5N1 virus. It was one of five that tested in the backyard farm operation, where poultry and livestock shared water and were housed together.
After bird flu was found in the poultry at the farm last week, the pigs were tested for the H5N1 virus despite showing no signs of illness “out of an abundance of caution.”
Officials from the Oregon Department of Agriculture indicated that all the poultry on the farm together with the five pigs tested were euthanized for additional testing. Two pigs tested negative and the other results are still pending.
Officials are monitoring the other animals on the farm such as sheep and goats for symptoms of the virus and the farm remains under quarantine.
The farm where the pigs live does not engage in commercial food production and officials concluded that there is no risk to the nation’s pork supply.
Bird Flu Found In Central Oregon Pig Does Not Pose Risk To US Pork Supply
Pigs were the source of the 2009 H1N1 (which causes swine flu) pandemic. Pigs harbor different flu viruses, including one that has caused an outbreak in over 100 million poultry birds since 2022. Sick birds are generally euthanized to prevent them from entering the food supply chain.
Avian flu can jump to other animals and can be fatal to poultry birds like chicken, but health officials emphasized that the risk of bird flu in humans is low. People in close, prolonged contact with sick animals are more likely to be affected.
Dr. Ryan Scholz, Oregon’s state veterinarian, confirmed the virus is present in migratory wild waterfowl naturally. These birds serve as a reservoir for the virus and the risk to domestic poultry increases as they intermingle with the wild birds. Scholtz said this is believed to have happened on the Crook County farm.
Dr. Dean Sidelinger, the state epidemiologist at the Oregon Health Authority, confirmed that the risk remains low when appropriate personal protective equipment or PPE is used.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), almost 40 people have tested positive for bird flu this year so far but most only reported mild symptoms such as eye redness.
Sidelinger also confirmed that at least 127 people have been exposed to the virus in over 40 outbreaks of the virus across backyard and commercial poultry farms in Oregon, but no one has reported becoming sick.
Dr Scholtz said that no affected animals have ever entered Oregon’s food supply chain and the state’s food is safe, including pork products. To remain safe, eggs and meat products must be properly prepared, and milk must be pasteurized.