July 13, 2006

 

US poultry market in Philadelphia closed after positive bird flu test

 

 

A live bird market in the north-eastern US city of Philadelphia was temporarily closed Wednesday (Jul 12) after birds there tested positive for a type of bird flu, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture said in a press release.

 

Stephanie Meyers, press secretary for the state agriculture department, said the signs point to a mild, or low-pathogenic, strain of bird flu.

 

There have been no bird deaths and no birds are sick, she said.

 

The discovery of the bird flu was the result of routine surveillance, the release said.

 

"Mild strains of bird flu are very common in poultry, and we have no reason to think this strain is any different," Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff in the release.

 

Meyers said while the exact strain of bird flu is not known yet, the department has sent samples to be tested and expects to have the results in three to five days.

 

The closure of the bird market was simply a routine precaution, the department said.

 

"We have the measures in place to detect bird flu quickly, and this occurrence shows that our procedures are working," Wolff said. "As soon as the department was made aware of the positive test, state and federal veterinarians were sent to the site to close the market, dispose of the birds and clean the facility according to state protocols."

 

The department is investigating the distribution channels to and from the market to ensure isolation of all sources of the virus, the release said.