Avian flu found in flock of chickens in Wake County

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is warning the public after a backyard chicken flock in Wake County tested positive for High Path Avian Influenza (HPAI)

The positive sample was identified by the department's lab in Raleigh and is the first confirmed positive in a backyard flock in North Carolina.

The Department of Agriculture said the flock of less than 100 birds will be killed to prevent spread of the disease, and other backyard flocks located near the infected flock will be contacted.

According to the department, HPAI was found at nine poultry farms in Johnston and Wayne counties in late spring and early summer of this year.

CDC officials said this type of HPAI virus is considered a low risk to people, but is highly contagious to other birds, including commercial and backyard flocks of poultry. The virus is also not considered a food safety threat and infected birds do not enter the food supply.

The department ask that if your bird becomes sick to report it to a veterinarian right away or contact the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Below is a list of warning signs of HPAI

• Reduced energy, decreased appetite, and/or decreased activity

• Lower egg production and/or soft-shelled or misshapen eggs

• Swelling of the head, eyelids, comb and wattles

• Purple discoloration of the wattles, comb and legs

• Difficulty breathing, runny nares (nose), and/or sneezing

• Twisting of the head and neck, stumbling, falling down, tremors and/or circling

• Greenish diarrhea

For more information about signs of HPAI visit here. .