USA: Highly pathogenic avian influenza detected in wild geese populations in Craighead County

Poultry producers and hunters in Northeast Arkansas are being warned that the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPIA) bird flu has now been detected in wild geese populations, according to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. Biologists conducting aerial surveys to generate waterfowl population estimates last week located a few small groups of dead snow geese and Ross’s geese across the state. In Craighead and Lonoke counties several were collected and tested positive for influenza. Additional suspected cases have been found in Prairie, Pulaski, Faulkner, Clay and Poinsett counties. “While sightings are not as prevalent as last year’s outbreak, the continued presence of the disease on the landscape does create a need to update hunters and anyone who has domestic birds or poultry livestock,” the agency reported. The risk of humans contracting the disease remains low, but hunters can help further minimize that risk by following a few simple precautions. As a general precaution, ...