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Avian influenza situation improving in South Dakota

South Dakota’s state veterinarian says their avian influenza situation has been improving.

Dr. Mendel Miller with the South Dakota Animal Industry Board says, “We haven’t had a new positive for, I think we’re going on eight days now.”

Miller tells Brownfield for a while, the state was getting new cases every day. “We were running two or three a day, and then I think it dropped down to maybe one a day there for a couple of days before we had this gap.”

And, Miller says for one of the growers, the recovery has begun. “This week, we did get one of the initial premises that was found did get to restock, so that’s a step in the right direction and hopefully, it’s a step back to normal.”

Miller estimates around 10-thousand new birds will be going to that facility this week.

Miller says South Dakota had so many avian influenza cases compared to the size of the state’s poultry industry, that there are probably fewer birds now susceptible to the illness.  He says that combined with warmer temperatures should help control the disease.

Miller says there are now 36 South Dakota premises affected by avian influenza.