03.01.2015

Avian influenza has been found in a backyard poultry flock in southeast Washington. The virus has not been found in commercial poultry in Washington or elsewhere in the United States. The owner of the flock of about 150 birds near Benton City, west of the Tri-Cities, contacted the Agriculture Department after losing nearly 50 birds in the past week. Washington State University’s Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory in Pullman confirmed that highly pathogenic H5 avian influenza had infected the flock.