Pennsylvania’s first case of bird flu this year confirmed at Lehigh County farm

State officials said there is no risk to the public after the first bird flu case of the year was confirmed at a commercial poultry farm in Lehigh County.

Pennsylvania’s first case of bird flu this year was confirmed on Monday.

The case was reported in a 50,000-chicken flock on a commercial poultry farm in Lehigh County. 

A state and federal interagency task force is on the farm carrying out a response plan to help keep the virus from spreading further. The state Department of Agriculture has quarantined the farm and all commercial poultry facilities, restricting the movement of poultry products, within a six-mile radius. 

The response plan also includes education and public outreach, as well as biosecurity measures and continued surveillance, testing, and farm management. 

There is no health risk to the general public, according to the state. Poultry products and eggs are safe to eat if cooked properly.

No infections in dairy cattle or humans have been detected in Pennsylvania to date. The virus has infected dairy cattle in states further west, but cattle are not sickened to the degree that birds are. Milk that has been pasteurized is safe to drink.

The state has taken steps to protect Pennsylvania’s dairy and poultry industries, including quarantines that have been adjusted as the virus has evolved and affected livestock. 

Monday’s confirmed case of bird flu is the first in commercial poultry in the state since February 2024. The last case in domestic birds was in a backyard flock in October 2024 in Venango County. 

“Protecting our poultry and dairy industries has been, and continues to be Pennsylvania’s top priority,” said Russell Redding, state agriculture secretary. “With this confirmed positive infection in Pennsylvania and confirmed infections in poultry in surrounding states, the threat is clear and heightened. Vigilant biosecurity on both poultry and dairy farms and on any farm that raises birds is the key to minimizing the spread of the virus.”

While there have been confirmed cases of bird flu in humans in other states, those cases are mainly workers in close contact with infected poultry, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Bird flu presents very low risk to human health.