SUSSEX CO, DE - According to the Delaware Department of Natural Resources (DNREC), approximately 40 to 50 dead snow geese from Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge have tested 'presumptive positive' for H5N1 avian influenza, or 'bird flu'.
According to DNREC officials, this is the first bird flu outbreak in wild birds on Delmarva since May of 2022.
"We can only call it presumptive because it has to be confirmed through the National Veterinary Services Laboratory before we can call it true positive," Dr. Karen Lopez, Delaware Department of Agriculture (DDA) State Veterinarian, said. "But because of the clinical signs from the birds being neurologic, very weak, and then dying, we do have a very high index of suspicion that this is highly pathogenic avian influenza."
Dr. Lopez told WBOC Monday that, although the testing group was from the Prime Hook Wildlife Refuge, they also received calls reporting other sick birds along the coast. The range was roughly from Dewey Beach to Broadkill Beach, according to Dr. Lopez. These reports have not yet been verified.
"With other reports of dead birds throughout the state, we're probably looking in the range of 200 to 300 birds total," Dr. Lopez said.
Skip Syester, owner of Syester Farms Inc., owns roughly 332,000 chickens at his poultry farm in Lincoln, Delaware. Syester said he worries about the severity of the new strain.
"It's mother nature. We can't control it. Hopefully, she answers a prayer that this goes away," Syester said.
Syester said even one infected chicken can lead to the loss of an entire flock.
"It's a complete loss," Syester said. "With me having multiple farms it doesn't just affect the infected farm, they have to destroy all the farms. If it gets into our industryit's devastating."
Syester said, to protect his livelihood, he's taken extra precautions, including reducing standing water on the farm, limiting traffic in and out of their property, and wearing clean clothes around their chickens. All of which are tips recommended by leaders at the Delmarva Chicken Association for poultry farmers.
"This is something chicken growers and people in the chicken community have been careful about for many years now," James Fisher, communications manager for the Delmarva Chicken Association, said. "This one case really doesn't change day-to-day behavior because it just reiterates how important it is for growers to keep doing what they've been doing."
Fisher said there has never been a case of bird flu on a Delmarva poultry farm for longer than a year, and he's hopeful that the streak will continue with growers following necessary precautions.
As for clean-up efforts, DNREC Media Relations Manager Michael Globetti told WBOC that the organization will dispose of dead and infected geese in a way that limits further spread.
“Dead birds are collected by DNREC staff wearing proper protective equipment, double-bagged and zip-tied for disposal in a DSWA landfill, which is a permitted condition under DNREC’s regulatory authority," Globetti said in a statement Monday.
