PREPARING FOR HPAI WITH THE ERIE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH 4/2/22

PREPARING FOR HPAI WITH THE ERIE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

April 5, 2022 — April 2 was a busy day at the SPCA Serving Erie County! Representatives of the Erie County Health Department’s Division of Emergency Preparedness came to the SPCA to help our Wildlife Department prepare to provide the safest care possible for our feathered friends due to Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI).

Representatives from Messinger Woods Wildlife Care and Education Center and Wild Kritters of Niagara County Inc. were invited to the session to learn, along with us, the best way to provide care upon receipt of animals affected by HPAI.

Members of the SPCA’s Wildlife Department and Educational Farm have spent many hours planning ahead in the event our organization is faced with admission of animals suffering from this highly-contagious disease carried by free-flying wild birds (ducks, geese, gulls, etc.). with new strains causing illness and high mortality in wild birds and domestic poultry.

The SPCA Serving Erie County extends a heartfelt thanks to the Erie County Health Department for the training, the donation of tremendous amounts of PPE, and fitting attendees for N95 respirators.

Read the March 24, 2022 report on HPAI from the Cornell University Wildlife Health Lab (the most recent University report on HPAI available at the time of this writing) HERE. For more on 2022 detections of HPAI in New York State commercial and backyard flocks, visit the USDA’s information page HERE.

 

 

— Gina Lattuca, SPCA Serving Erie County Chief Communications Officer