he United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the New Jersey Department of Agriculture’s (NJDA) Division of Animal Health have confirmed a new Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) poultry case in a Union County live bird market. The disease response is being coordinated between State and Federal partners.

The risk of HPAI to the general public remains low and no poultry were sold to the public that may have been infected. HPAI is highly contagious and often fatal in domestic poultry species.

The live bird market case was identified from test samples from domestic poultry at the Union County premises that were submitted and tested at the New Jersey Animal Health Diagnostic Laboratory as part of routine surveillance. Samples collected during a restocking inspection on Wednesday, February 19 detected HPAI. Confirmatory testing is underway at the National Veterinary Services Laboratory.

State and Federal partners are taking prompt action to prevent the spread of disease. The live bird market is quarantined and will not receive new poultry until the quarantine is lifted. The market will have a thorough cleaning and disinfection to eliminate the virus within the facility. After the cleaning and disinfection, this market will remain temporarily closed for a prescribed period before it is restocked.

The positive test comes after New Jersey live bird markets cooperated with the NJDA’s recommendation to perform a cleaning and disinfection of their market in response to several New York City area live bird markets being closed due to positive HPAI cases.

“I want to applaud the live bird markets taking necessary precautions which led to the quick identification of the illness in birds,” NJDA Secretary Ed Wengryn said. “By reporting this to us immediately, we were able to prevent the sale of any sick birds to the public.”

This is the first positive HPAI case for domestic poultry in New Jersey since 2023.

Individuals working in the market are being assessed for exposures and will be monitored for symptoms by the local health department and New Jersey Department of Health. If any of the exposed individuals develop compatible symptoms, they will be evaluated for HPAI immediately.

Poultry owners, industry workers, and the general public are reminded to take precautionary measures to ensure the maintenance of a healthy flock.

HPAI poses a low risk to the general public and human infections have most often occurred after close or lengthy unprotected contact (such as not wearing gloves, respiratory protection, or eye protections) with infected birds or dairy cattle, or with places that the infected birds or animals have touched. No instances of sustained human-to-human transmission have been observed. Properly cooked poultry and eggs to at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit are also considered safe to eat.

Individuals that have had close, unprotected contact with infected birds should monitor themselves for symptoms for 10 days following their last exposure. Symptoms may include fever, respiratory signs (cough, sore throat, difficulty breathing) eye redness or irritation, headaches, muscle or body aches, and diarrhea. If symptoms develop, individuals should seek healthcare and notify their healthcare provider of the potential exposure.

HPAI is highly contagious and often fatal in domestic poultry species. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the recent HPAI detections in birds do not present an immediate public health concern.