A third case of avian influenza this year has been confirmed in Arkansas, the state Department of Agriculture announced Thursday.
According to a news release from the department, testing confirmed a case of the virus in a backyard flock in Arkansas County that showed increased mortality over the course of several days.
The other two cases of avian influenza were reported on a poultry farm in Madison County and on a farm in Pope County.
The release described avian influenza as an airborne respiratory virus that spreads easily among chickens through nasal and eye secretions, as well as manure. It can be spread from flock to flock, including by wild birds, through contact with infected poultry, by equipment, and on the clothing and shoes of caretakers.
There is no public health concern, and according to the release. Avian influenza does not affect poultry meat or egg products, which remain safe to eat.
Patrick Fisk, Livestock and Poultry Division Director, said in the release that “the Arkansas Department of Agriculture is urging poultry owners to increase biosecurity measures on their operations in response to several reports of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in wild birds along the Mississippi Flyway.”