Bossier Parish backyard poultry flock

Federal health officials have attributed the deaths of birds in a “backyard flock” in Bossier Parish to the strain of avian influenza that has spread among poultry and livestock farms as well as 61 people so far.

The type or number of birds that died have not been disclosed yet, with the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry describing in a news release Monday that they were from a “non-commercial,” “non-poultry” flock. Its owner contacted the state after “increased mortality” among the birds, and federal officials confirmed the cause was the highly viral bird flu.

The rest of the flock was put to death to prevent the spread of the disease, according to the LDAF news release. The department did not disclose the size of the flock. 

This is Louisiana’s first confirmed case of avian flu within “domestic” birds, as no cases from commercial poultry operations in the state have been reported. It comes three days after the state’s first human case of H5N1 avian flu was diagnosed in a patient from Southwest Louisiana. 

The virus has been confirmed in 60 other people around the country, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention labeled Louisiana’s patient the first one with a “severe” case of avian flu. The Louisiana Department of Health said the person is over age 65 and dealing with other health complications.  

There have been no H5N1 cases spread from human to human, federal health officials report. People who have contracted the virus have come into contact with infected birds or cattle. 

Officials have not raised concerns about the avian flu in beef of poultry products, stressing proper storage, handling and preparation to avoid any food-borne pathogens.

LDAF Commissioner Mike Strain said his department has worked closely with federal and state animal health officials to contain any spread in Bossier Parish. 

“Fortunately, there are no reports of disease among our commercial poultry industry to date,” Strain said. “Protecting the health of livestock and poultry in Louisiana is a top priority, and we will continue to treat this outbreak with the appropriate level of care and attention.”

The outbreak has affected 865 dairy herds in 16 states this year, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. There have been 315 new cases in dairy cattle during the last month, with the vast majority of those diagnoses in California, while one herd each tested positive in Nevada and Texas.

The avian flu has also been confirmed in almost 124 million poultry in 49 states, the USDA reported.