(WHTM)– The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has recorded more than 7 million avian flu cases this year, which accounts for 80% of the cases nationwide. Why is the virus so much worse here?
Governor Shapiro and Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding met with poultry producers and other industry leaders on Tuesday at a roundtable in Lancaster County, one of the areas hardest hit by the virus, to discuss what the Commonwealth is doing to fight the surge in cases.
Gov. Shapiro said the state is in crisis mode, and more personnel have been deployed to help.
“Pennsylvania’s farmers are the backbone of our communities, and I know many are worried about the recent rise in HPAI cases,” said Governor Shapiro. “My administration is working around the clock to expand our rapid response efforts and mitigate this surge. We are deploying more personnel, expanding our testing ability, and coordinating closely with the federal government and our industry partners to ensure we have our poultry farmers’ backs every step of the way.”
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State Veterinarian Dr. Alex Hamburg said over the past four years, Pennsylvania has now approached the number of birds lost during the 1983-84 outbreak. Today, it’s a little different, with Pennsylvania now having 10,361 poultry farms, according to the Department of Agriculture, with many of them being bigger than they used to.
“The farms are bigger. The density is higher. Lancaster County is the most densely populated poultry county in the country,” Dr. Hamburg said. “And if not the most its up there in the top one or two.”
More avian flu cases reported in Dauphin, Lancaster counties
Lancaster County is home to more than 1,391 of Pennsylvania’s 10,361 poultry farms. Dr. Hamburg said density is a real challenge, as well as the diversity of the livestock and farm sector.
He added that a Eurasian goose strain of Highly Pathogenic influenza arrived in the US in 2022, marking the first time HPAI was directly infectious to Pennsylvania’s wild waterfowl and domestic turkeys and chickens.
Pennsylvania previously developed a biosecurity assurance program for live bird markets, but pushback has led the state to pull back. Dr. Hamburg said the state is now revising it to help ensure biosecurity is more widespread.
“Those farms without biosecurity. Those are a risk to their neighbors,” he said.
Pennsylvania is the only state in the nation with a dedicated HPAI Recovery Fund, and $75 million has been invested in it since 2022. Currently, $59.4 million sits in the reserve. The Department of Agriculture said 302 poultry businesses have received $15.6 million in grants to offset losses and strengthen biosecurity protections since the fund’s establishment.
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