Colorado Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera declares bird flu emergency in state
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Colorado Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera on Thursday declared a disaster emergency in Weld County north of Denver due to a major outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).
The Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) told the local outlet FOX31 There are reports of a possible positive test for HPAI, also known as bird flu, at an egg laying facility in the county.
CDA officials said dead chickens were tested at the facility, which hosts 1.3 million chickens, due to “report of high mortality rate”.
It is unclear how many birds are potentially infected.
USDA workers disinfect a work crew amid a bird flu outbreak on a farm. (Glen Stubbe/Star Tribune via Getty Images)
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HPAI was first detected in the United States in February 2022 and affected wild birds and poultry.
Records released by the CDA show a series of outbreaks in Weld County in July 2024 that affected three commercial poultry facilities that housed a total of approximately 3.4 million chickens.
Although the names of the businesses were not made public, 1,313,800 chickens were reportedly located at one of the affected facilities.
A chick is being tested for bird flu. (iStock)
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It is unclear whether this facility is the same facility potentially affected by the recent outbreak.
The State’s declaration activates the State Emergency Operations Plan and directs the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) to take all necessary and appropriate actions to assist affected jurisdictions in their response, recovery, and mitigation efforts.
The action also authorizes the use of disaster emergency funds and allows the OEM to mobilize government resources, enter into contracts and tenders using emergency procurement procedures, and pursue and spend funds designated by the OEM manager.
CDA officials said the dead chickens at the exit were tested at the facility. (Reuters/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo)
At the time the proclamation was issued, Primavera was serving as governor; Governor Jared Polis was in Washington, D.C., to attend the Colorado River negotiating meeting.
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The Governorship announced that the decision was taken in coordination with the Police.
