Gov. Polis declares disaster emergency to deal with avian flu in Weld County – Boulder Daily Camera

DENVER, COLORADO JANUARY 6: Governor Jared Polis make an announcement to help provide Coloradans with short-term and long-term relief from high energy costs at his office in the Colorado State Capitol on February 6, 2023 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post)

Nearly 2 million chickens at a Weld County egg-laying facility will be killed because of the latest outbreak of the avian flu virus, according to the Colorado Department of Agriculture.

The department said Tuesday that 1.78 million birds will be killed at the location known as Weld 11 following a presumptive positive confirmation Friday from the Colorado State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. The National Veterinary Sciences Lab confirmed the result Monday. It appeared that the facility is east of Keenesburg, based on a quarantine map of the area. A spokeswoman was not immediately available for comment about the address late Tuesday.

Outbreaks of the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza virus have been threatening Colorado domestic birds since March 2022, according to state officials.

Gov. Jared Polis last week verbally declared a disaster emergency as a result of the outbreak at the Weld facility, the office reported on Monday. The declaration is meant to ensure that state officials can provide resources to protect the agriculture industry, officials said.

The declaration specifically unlocks the resources necessary to help affected poultry facilities respond to and contain outbreaks of avian flu, according to a news release from Poliss office. It directs the state Office of Emergency Management to help with all response, recovery and mitigation related to the latest outbreak.

The virus affected more than 6.3 million commercial chickens, 1,635 backyard poultry and 15,801 game birds across the state in May, which is the last time the state Department of Agriculture issued a report. An update on the report is expected this week, said Olga Robak, the Department of Agriculture director of communications and public awareness.

Bird owners are encouraged to keep their flocks away from wild birds and not to touch any dead wild birds. There have been rare cases of human infection with avian influenza, according to the department.

Domestic animals such as dogs and cats may become infected with avian flu if they eat or are exposed to sick or dead birds infected with the virus, or if the animals are exposed to an environment contaminated with feces of infected birds.

More information about the states response to avian flu can be found at ag.colorado.gov/HPAIresponse.

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Gov. Polis declares disaster emergency to deal with avian flu in Weld County - Boulder Daily Camera