PEKIN, Ill. — To date, no cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) have been reported in the state of Illinois. The state’s Department of Agriculture (IDOA), working closely with poultry producers, captive bird owners and zoos around the state, hopes to keep it that way.

“The department is calling on everyone involved with birds, regardless of flock size, to work together to protect the poultry industry,” said Philip Nelson, director of the IDOA, in a statement.

As part of a multi-agency effort, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency is coordinating with IDOA and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) to formulate state response efforts if HPAI is found in Illinois. IDOA is reminding consumers that their eggs, turkey and chicken remain safe to eat, while the IDPH is spreading the message that no human infections from HPAI have been detected – though the department will remain vigilant in monitoring health effects.

The focus of the IDOA, in cooperation with USDA Veterinary Services, is to inform producers about how to help prevent the spread of HPAI and what to do if the virus is discovered on their farms.

“It is imperative that producers and zoos practice their flock management plans as they relate to disease prevention and biosecurity,” said Mark Ernst, Illinois state veterinarian. “Eliminating direct and indirect exposure of poultry to wild birds, especially waterfowl, will help to reduce the footprint of this virus.”

Producers should adopt strict biosecurity guidelines, Ernst added, including restricting entrance into poultry facilities to essential personnel. This restriction is now in place at many, if not most, of the 3,725 poultry farms that house 4.3 million birds in Illinois.

“Right now most poultry farmers in the area are very careful about their farm operations,” said Doug Godke, manager of the Tazewell County Farm Bureau in central Illinois. “Many of the procedures farmers use are the same practices they use on their farms on a regular basis to make sure no disease enters their farm. This means keeping anything off their farm that could spread the disease.”

Limiting exposure to the virus is a tricky proposition considering the source of transmission of HPAI – or “bird flu” – is still a matter of conjecture, he noted.

“The IDOA is still looking into any possible methods of transmission. Farmers cannot control migrating waterfowl, but there are other things that are being done to hopefully keep the disease out of Illinois,” he said.

“The large producers are very aware of the issue. One of the concerns is the backyard poultry producer that has several chickens suddenly die and not know why. That could be a place where the disease hides and is transmitted to the large poultry operation by other vectors.”

There have been at least 133 reported detections of avian influenza in at least 17 states since December, affecting some 33 million birds. States of emergency have been declared in Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin. A spike in bird flu confirmations during the spring of 2015 has pushed the outbreak to historic levels, eclipsing the previous 1983 record for infected birds.

Among the recent outbreaks: 1 million chickens in Wright County, Iowa, on May 5; 1.8 million chickens in Madison County on May 4; 5.7 million chickens in Buena Vista County on May 1 and 3.7 million chickens in Sioux County on April 28. A strain was found in a backyard poultry flock in Whitley County, Ind. on May 11.

Among the three states that have declared emergencies, more than 25 million birds have been affected. But on a national level, the HPAI outbreak in chickens represents a small portion of the total layer inventory in the United States, estimated at 362 million as of March, reported John Newton and Todd Kuethe of the University of Illinois Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics.

In addition, some 5.3 million turkeys and 78,000 mixed poultry and pheasant animals had been affected as of May 8, the agricultural economists reported.

Illinois producers are required to report unexplained avian deaths and birds exhibiting clinical signs of disease for investigation by the state veterinarian, toll free at 866-299-9256. Birds affected by HPAI may exhibit sudden death without clinical signs, or respiratory distress, digestive abnormalities, swelling around the head, neck and eyes, purple or blue discoloration around the head and legs, decreased egg production or abnormal eggs, nasal discharge, coughing and sneezing and/or nervous system abnormalities.