PIUTE COUNTY, Utah — While reiterating that the risk to the public remains low, Utah officials revealed Friday that over 100,000 turkeys were killed in the last two weeks after testing positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza.
The Utah Department of Agriculture and Food said 107,800 turkeys tested positive between Nov. 10-19 at three farms in Piute County. In addition, a backyard poultry flock in Salt Lake County was also disposed due to positive tests for avian flu.
According to the department, all the birds were depopulated within 24 hours of the original diagnosis to limit the spread of the disease. As of Friday, the strains of the outbreaks in both Piute and Salt Lake County were undergoing sequencing.
Five poultry farms in the state are now in quarantine, and all equipment at the farms at the center of the recent discoveries will be disinfected.
Although the numbers may alarm some, the Utah Department of Health and Human Resources warns residents not to become anxious about the recent avian flu tests. There has been no indication of any human-to-human spreading of the disease.
Consumers should properly cook poultry and eggs as a general safety precaution.
