FILE - Chickens stand in their cages at a farm, in Iowa, Nov. 16, 2009. A case of avian influenza was reported in Clackamas County this week, after which about 150,000 chickens were euthanized.
Charlie Neibergall / AP
A case of avian influenza has been confirmed at a Clackamas County commercial egg farm, according to the Oregon Department of Agriculture.
The case was confirmed by the U.S Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory on Monday, according to an ODA public document. Officials said Thursday that about 150,000 chickens were euthanized using carbon dioxide poisoning – an authorized method to cull poultry infected with the virus.
Agriculture officials say the eggs from the affected birds did not enter the food supply. The same bird flu strain, the H5N1 virus, has affected over 100 million poultry birds across the U.S. since 2022, including nearly 800,000 commercial chickens in Oregon and several backyard flocks. Chickens were so affected in recent years that the virus was blamed in part for skyrocketing egg and meat prices.
Unlike the name suggests, avian flu can jump to other animals, including wild mammals. Earlier this year, scientists discovered the virus can jump to dairy cattle – no cases have been reported in Oregon.
This recent case comes after four farm workers in southeast Washington preliminarily tested positive for bird flu earlier this month. Health officials do emphasize the risk of bird flu in humans is low, although it is more likely to affect people who are in close contact with a sick bird – some scientists warn that public health officials need to ramp up testing on farm workers exposed to sick animals or risk cases going undetected.
ODA officials say they’re working with Oregon Health Authority and Clackamas County Public Health to ensure the farm workers at the site in Clackamas County have proper personal protective equipment and access to public health resources.