URBANA, Ill. — Preventing H5N1, or Avian influenza, from infecting poultry flocks and dairy barns was the topic of a University of Illinois Extension-farmdoc webinar featuring Illinois State Veterinarian Mark Ernst and Tasha Bunting, director of commodity programs and farm systems for the Illinois Farm Bureau. They were joined by Josie Rudolphi, deputy director of the Great Lakes Center for Farmworker Health and Wellbeing. 

“I can honestly say that since 2022 when we first started to see highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in the country that it has been quite a challenge,” said Ernst. “Some of the challenges to prevention that we need to deal with include wildlife, the environment, transfer in fomites (footwear, clothing, equipment) as well as additions to flocks.”

Controlling the flight of migratory waterfowl — which is the top vector of bird flu — is impossible. Ducks and geese are often the unwitting carriers of the virus, harboring the virus in a carrier state and contaminating areas along migratory flyways with their droppings, according to Illinois’ top veterinarian. 

“Keep in mind that we don’t have to worry just about the fall and wintertime migrations, but then in the spring those birds migrate back north. So they’ve got two opportunities to expose flocks to the virus,” Ernst said. “The virus can survive on various surfaces for variable amounts of time. Much of this is dependent on temperature, PH and humidity. Even though a surface may look clean, unless it’s been disinfected it should be considered potentially contaminated.”

The H5N1 virus can survive up to eight weeks in 39 degree temperatures in either wet or dry droppings, Ernst said. It can survive as long as 30 days in feathers, up to two weeks in soils, 26 hours on plastic, 4.5 hours on skin, up to two days on metal and two weeks on wood. 

“Sealing up entry points will help keep rodents and small birds from entering buildings. Keeping areas around buildings clean and free of loose feed will help deter birds from congregating. Additional rodent control might be necessary for mice or rats, and waterfowl ‘hazing’ using propane cannons, mylar tape, balloons and grid wiring over small ponds and other exclusion areas can be useful in keeping waterfowl away from a facility,” said Ernst, who has been a veterinarian with the state of Illinois for around 35 years. 

“Practicing continuous sanitation of equipment, clothing and footwear are important steps in preventing infections and contaminations of flocks. Only people who are essential to the operation of the flock should be permitted to enter a facility, and employees should be discouraged from owning their own poultry to reduce the possibility of cross contamination. Vehicular traffic should be restricted to designated areas and disinfection of the tires and the undersides of vehicles needs to be completed on entry and exit,” he added.

Flock additions should be purchased from a single source from a National Poultry Improvement Plan member flock, Ernst advised. 

Bunting addressed H5N1 prevention in dairy herds. Illinois is home to around 360 Grade A dairy barns and 790,000 dairy cows, which produce around 1.7 billion pounds of milk annually. “The situation changed about a year ago when we started seeing HPAI in dairy herds outside of Illinois, and a lot of biosecurity methods have been implemented,” Bunting said. 

The farm bureau livestock specialist said the U.S. dairy industry is responding to the threat by enacting measures such as the issuance of a “Farm Biosecurity-- Enhanced Guide” prep guide that includes a biosecurity premises map checklist for dairy operations. She warned that human HPAI infections have been sourced to both dairy and poultry operations. 

“The Illinois Farm Bureau worked with the Illinois Department of Public Health to have on hand PPE (personal protective equipment) for farm workers in the event of an outbreak. One-time free distribution of PPE is available to farmers, and we work closely with local health departments and farm bureau offices to distribute that PPE to the farmers,” Bunting said, adding that to date there have, fortunately, been no reported dairy cattle or human inflections of H5N1 in Illinois.

With poultry flock depopulations commonplace due to the recent and rapid spread of H5N1, farm stress is nearing an all-time high, according to Rudolphi. She noted that help is available to producers through Extension mental health resources, including free mental health care and a phone hotline (1-800-447-1985) with 24-7 access to trained staff.  

“There are a lot of unknowns in H5N1 right now,” said Rudolphi, who is also an Extension specialist and faculty member of the U of I. “We know there is a lot of stress related to these outbreaks and a lot of anxiety created by the unknowns.”

The entire 30-minute webinar, “H5N1 Prevention Strategies,” can be viewed on the University of Illinois’ farmdoc YouTube channel, as can a subsequent related webinar, “Property and Legacy on the Farm,” which provides information to agricultural producers and the public regarding testing for H5N1, along with infection prevention and control recommendations.