Utah wildlife officials reported a mallard duck was the third waterfowl in the state with avian influenza since December, said the Associated Press. The state Division of Wildlife Resources said the infected duck was tagged earlier this summer at Farmington Bay on the Great Salt Lake. “The highly pathogenic strain found in the ducks can lead to outbreaks at chicken and turkey farms,” said the AP. A state official said poultry farmers were taking precautions to keep their flocks safe from infection.
The USDA’s list of confirmed cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza in wild birds includes two Utah incidents, an American widgeon in January and a mallard in July. Both were in Davis County, just north of Salt Lake City and on the eastern shore of Great Salt Lake and including Farmington Bay.
Some 48.1 million turkeys and laying hens were lost earlier this year in the worst avian influenza epidemic to hit the United States. The last outbreak in a commercial flock was June 17. The poultry industry has stepped up biosecurity safeguards in the face of a possible return of the disease during the fall migration. Wild waterfowl are believed to spread the virus.