All living bird markets in New York and in several nearby counties must be temporarily closed in the hope of limiting the spread of bird flu, which was detected in some of the markets last week, Gov said. Kathy Hochul on Friday.
The order, which came from the Ministry of Agriculture and State markets, affects about 80 live markets in New York and the Westchester, Nassau and Suffolk counties. Seven cases of bird flu had been detected in markets in Queens, Bronx and Brooklyn.
Markets with confirmed cases must be rid of their stock, while those that have not been identified the bird flu has three days to sell or dispose of all their stocks. All purchases must then be cleaned and fired before closing for at least five days.
“Ensuring public health is to be active,” Governor Hochul said in a statement, adding that he would “continue to take these measured steps of common sense” to try to stop spreading the virus.
Responding to the cases of bird flu in New York, the operators of living bird markets in New Jersey were invited to voluntarily clean up and disinfect their markets and equipment as soon as they leave their stock and will close for three to four days before again. Birds, a representative of the Department of Agriculture of the State, said on Friday.
State officials also asked New Jersey companies that they are distributed in the markets of living birds to clean and dismiss their activities, said Jeff Wolfe spokesman. The surveillance tests of living markets and distributors will be conducted, he added.
There have been no cases of bird flu in poultry, including living markets and herds of the courtyard, in New Jersey last year and have not been so far this year, according to the Department of Agriculture.
H5N1, a form of bird flu, has affected more than 156 million commercial, courtyard and wild birds in the United States since 2022, as bird flu has spread around the world, public health experts are concerned More for living animal markets.
There were about 70 live animal markets in New York since last year, some of which were close to schools and residential buildings. Most of them are butchering and selling chickens, ducks and quail, and about a quarter are slaughtered and larger animals such as sheep, goats, cows and pigs. They sell both to local restaurants and to the general public.
James McDonald, a Health Commissioner, said in a statement on Friday that bird flu had no immediate threat to public health and that there were no known cases of bird flu in New York. People who regularly interact with animals and wild birds should wear personal protective equipment when they come into contact with them, he added.
Michelle Morse, an active commissioner of the city’s health ministry, said in a statement on Friday that the danger would increase if the virus developed the ability to transmit among people. The department works with the state to make sure that people working in live markets are informed and receive treatment if they develop symptoms.
Still, some believed that the state’s mandate on Friday did not go far enough.
“While I am glad that the commander finally wakes up to what a serious danger to the public that these markets hold, it is not enough to close them for a week,” said Edita Birnkrant, New Yorkers Executive Director for Clean, reasonable and safe Roads, a group of animal rights that has documented what it describes as “scary conditions” in live markets for several years.
Mrs Birnkrant said that when markets reopen, there will be thousands of birds and other animals sick with bird flu and other diseases.
Linda Rosenthal, a Democratic Member of the Manhattan State Assembly, said that markets should be closed for the foreseen future and that it was wrong to allow some of them to sell their birds for three more days before cleaning and closure.
Since 2019, he has repeatedly introduced a bill that would create a working group to study market safety to determine if they should continue to operate.
“We are watching all the violations and inspections of these markets and are taking steady violations from the Ministry of Agriculture and Markets for dirty conditions, accumulation of dirt, blood across the country,” he said.
“I don’t think anything can be resolved in five days,” he said.
New York State Inspectors closed seven facilities for average five days after typing from the bird flu – not all H5N1 – 2022 and 2023, but allowed them to reopen after cleaning and disinfection.
Last month, the owner of a duck farm on Long Island said that 100,000 ducks had to be killed after the bird flu was detected there.
Apoorva Mandavilli and Tracey tully They contributed reports.
