In this Oct. 21, 2015, file photo, cage-free chickens walk in a fenced pasture at an organic farm near Waukon, Iowa.
Charlie Neibergall / AP Photo
First case of bird flu confirmed in Lancaster County since 2022 outbreak
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LNP|LancasterOnline Staff
Charlie Neibergall / AP Photo
In this Oct. 21, 2015, file photo, cage-free chickens walk in a fenced pasture at an organic farm near Waukon, Iowa.
At least one bird from a commercial poultry operation in Lancaster County has tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza, according to the state officials.
The infected bird was found somewhere near Witmer in East Lampeter Township, according to an online map of areas affected by bird flu maintained by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Animal Health and Diagnostic Services.
Since bird flu was first reported at a poultry farm in Lehigh County last week, four other counties — Lancaster, Lebanon, Dauphin and Cumberland — have reported cases.
The last major outbreak of avian flu in Pennsylvania began at a Lancaster County poultry farm in April 2022. That year, more than 3.5 million birds across the state had to be euthanized.
Experts say euthanizing the birds is more humane than letting them suffer from a virus that causes severe illness and, in most cases, slowly asphyxiates poultry.
State officials urge anyone who suspects poultry is infected with avian influenza to report the case to the Pennsylvania Bureau of Animal Health and Diagnostic Services at 717-772-2852.
Poultry farmers and people raising backyard flocks should refer to the Agriculture Department’s interactive map of control zones, at lanc.news/BirdFluMap, to determine whether their flocks are within a control zone or a surveillance zone around an infected farm.
The state establishes a control zone at a radius of 10 kilometers around an infected farm, where poultry can be transported only if the birds test negative for the disease. Surveillance areas extend a few kilometers beyond the control zone and are subject to targeted monitoring by state officials.
In an effort to stem the spread of bird flu, the Pennsylvania Game Commission on Tuesday closed some areas of Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area to the public ahead of the annual snow geese migration that brings tens of thousands of snow geese — and hundreds of bird watchers — to the the waterways and hills of the 6,000-acre sanctuary.
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