The first confirmed case of avian influenza in West Virginia since 2006 has been found in a non-commercial backyard flock in Kanawha County
The first confirmed case of avian influenza in West Virginia since 2006 has been found in a non-commercial backyard flock in Kanawha County.
According to the state Department of Health, public health risk is limited to those who had direct contact with the birds. The department is working with the West Virginia Department of Agriculture (WVDA) to monitor the exposed individuals to prevent transmission of the virus.
“This virus has been previously identified in surrounding states. It is important to note that the risk of transmission to humans is very low and limited to those with direct contact with the birds,” said West Virginia State Health Officer Dr. Matthew Christiansen. “If you have concerns about your exposure or symptoms, you should isolate at home and contact your primary care doctor and local health department.”
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N1, is an airborne respiratory virus that spreads easily among chickens through nasal and eye secretions, as well as manure.
The virus can be spread in various ways from flock to flock, including by wild birds, through contact with infected poultry, by equipment and on the clothing and shoes of caretakers.
Avian influenza does not affect poultry meat or egg products, which remain safe to eat.
Christiansen reminds residents that the confirmed case does not present an immediate public health concern.
“We will continue to follow this closely and provide updates if the risk changes,” he said.
According to the WVDA, the farm is under quarantine to stop the spread of avian influenza to other flocks in the state and the birds and eggs on the farm will not enter the food system.
West Virginia poultry producers are encouraged to increase biosecurity to prevent the spread of the disease. Producers should take the following actions:
Limit, monitor and record any movement of people, vehicles, or animals on or off the farm.
Permit only essential workers and vehicles to enter the farm to limit the chances of bringing the virus from an outside source.
Avoid visiting other poultry farms and any unnecessary travel off the farm.
Disinfect equipment, vehicles, footwear, and other items that are in contact with flocks.
Keep your flock away from wild or migratory birds, especially waterfowl.
Isolate any ill animals and contact your veterinarian.
Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting with support from Charleston Area Medical Center and Marshall Health.
Andrea Nelson, a fourth grade teacher from Lakewood Elementary in Kanawha County, earned West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s Above and Beyond Award for December 2023, which recognizes excellence and creativity of Mountain State teachers.
Andrea Nelson, a fourth grade teacher from Lakewood Elementary in Kanawha County, earned West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s Above and Beyond Award for December 2023, which recognizes excellence and creativity of Mountain State teachers.
Nelson was presented the award by WVPB’s Education Director Maggie Holley during a surprise assembly at Lakewood Elementary with the entire school and multiple family members in attendance. Vance received a monetary award and a signature Blenko Glass blue apple paperweight. The West Virginia State Treasurers’ Office sponsors the award, presenter of the SMART529 college savings program in the Mountain State.
Nelson was nominated by her mother, Leah Lewis, who was also an educator that taught music and show choir for 36 years. In Nelson’s nomination, her mother said her greatest skill is compassion. She shows it in her lessons, classroom management and with students throughout the school.
Andrea Nelson (right) stands next to her mother, Leah Lewis. Nelson’s mother nominated her for WVPB’s Above and Beyond Award.
Credit: Autumn Meadows/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Nelson is the Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) coordinator for Lakewood and through that, she plans ways to support the social and emotional needs of both teachers and students throughout the year. Her many goals for the program include team building initiatives to build relationships between staff, provide leadership opportunities for students, and overall help create a positive school culture.
Nelson’s classroom has a unique approach on social-emotional learning by including music and playing ukuleles. They’ll learn songs and play for staff members and students. They’ve even tried song writing! Nelson got the inspiration from a summer classroom training and was especially invested with her mother being a music teacher. Nelson said, “My dream is just play my guitar and ukulele at all times while I am teaching!”
In addition to ukuleles, Nelson’s class created a “Treat Yourself Day” inspired by the show Parks and Recreation, in which they show the benefits of a “treat yo’self” day. When students would hit a goal, they earn a school appropriate treat for the day. The students wanted to expand outside the classroom with this idea, and they designed ideas for snacks and drinks for classes that include music playing when they visit. “They wanted to make others feel special, and I knew the opportunity was so great that I would do whatever possible to make it happen.”
The fun and creativity in Nelson’s classroom are endless. Like the ukuleles and treat cart, another idea had stemmed from the classroom but is now implemented schoolwide. This event is a lip sync concert that Nelson organizes the last week of school, and all students are allowed to participate. She said it is a great opportunity for students to support each other and practice coming out of their shell in front of their peers. Even the teachers participate!
Another special event at Lakewood is the Love Language Fair. Nelson said she thought of the idea after speaking with a community leader about giving students an opportunity to show love during Valentine’s Day that wasn’t your typical lesson. “I plan with students and my co-teacher on activities that help students understand their own love language and how they feel love. It’s a process of planning and organizing because the students run the activity based off their own love language interest. It’s open to everyone school wide and is one of the best days of the year!”
It’s not always music related with Nelson’s fourth grade class. They are also currently planning a wax museum with an American Revolution theme. Last year, the wax museum was with a play and the students were the historical figures from this time.
Not only does Nelson provide group activities for the students, but she also shows her compassion by eating lunches with individual students to better connect with them and provide a safe place. The students are always eager for their turn.
She also made a positive impact by having a morning Welcome Wagon at the end of the week to include all students and encourage them to start their day off right by telling each other good morning. You might even see teachers dancing in the hallway at this time, lifting spirits for everyone. “By doing things like this, it creates an aurora of happiness and unity that is indescribable. It creates a school that is a place where students and teachers look forward to things that are happening.”
“This is my 14th year teaching and I have enjoyed every second. There are many things I love about teaching, but I do believe it’s a package deal. The teachers, students and administration all go together to make it great for me. I work with amazing teachers who are so inspiring, and the students are eager to learn each day. To be able to teach in an environment where you can just be yourself and be loved for it, is a wish I wish for everyone.”
Each month, WVPB has an esteemed panel of judges that select one deserving teacher who goes above and beyond for the students in West Virginia. If you know of a deserving teacher who goes “Above and Beyond,” please click here to nominate them.
The West Virginia Energy Users Group and the West Virginia Coal Association have proposed to pay off about $500 million in excess fuel costs incurred since 2021 by securitizing, or spreading out the payments over 20 years.
A settlement has been proposed to pay off hundreds of millions of dollars in Appalachian Power costs. But not everyone supports it.
The West Virginia Energy Users Group and the West Virginia Coal Association have proposed to pay off about $500 million in excess fuel costs incurred since 2021 by securitizing or spreading out the payments over 20 years.
However, the Public Service Commission staff, the state Consumer Advocate Division and the Kanawha County Commission oppose the deal.
It is not immediately clear what impact the settlement would have on rates. Appalachian Power customers will have to pay more per month to deal with the costs under any scenario.
The Consumer Advocate Division has asked the PSC to schedule a supplementary hearing on the settlement.
Securitization isn’t typically used to pay for routine costs such as purchasing fuel.
Rather, it’s designed to help states retire coal-burning power plants before the end of their useful life and replace them with more economical or less carbon-intensive electricity generation.
Appalachian Power is an underwriter of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.
A Charleston personal injury law firm sent a letter Thursday to Mountaineer Gas and West Virginia American Water.
A lawsuit has been filed on behalf of the Charleston residents who’ve been without gas service for a week. Curtis Tate has more.
A Charleston personal injury law firm sent a letter Thursday to Mountaineer Gas and West Virginia American Water.
The letter asks the companies to preserve documents, recordings and computer files that may be relevant to the case.
The lawsuit was filed in Kanawha Circuit Court, seeking class-action status for hundreds of West Side residents who lost gas service following a water main break last Friday.
At the request of Gov. Jim Justice, the West Virginia Public Service Commission has launched an investigation into the outage.
Mayor Amy Goodwin said Friday that 380 gas customers had service restored, with another 90 awaiting inspection for reconnection.
The gas outage, which began last Friday, was caused by a water main rupture on Charleston’s West Side, flooding the area’s gas lines with water.
Mountaineer Gas personnel had restored service to 260 customers by Thursday, according to Mayor Amy Goodwin, including an elementary school and a community center.
Justice, in his regular media briefing, said he wanted the state Public Service Commission (PSC), which regulates utilities, to look at what happened.
“And that’s why I’ve asked the PSC to launch a full-fledged investigation in regard to this entire matter,” he said Thursday.
Kanawha County Schools Superintendent Tom Williams said meal boxes would be provided to affected students and their families on Friday, enough to get them through the weekend, with more meals coming to them on Tuesday.
A state of emergency has been declared in West Virginia’s state capital due to a gas outage that has left more than 1,000 families without heat, hot water or working stoves.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
A state of emergency has been declared in West Virginia’s state capital due to a natural gas outage that has left more than 1,000 families without heat, hot water or working stoves.
Gov. Jim Justice announced the National Guard has been activated to assist in providing resources to Charleston’s West Side neighborhoods.
Residents of the affected area are predominantly people of color living in a lower-income community.
The outage may have originated from a burst water pipe late last week, according to officials, that flooded the gas lines. The state’s Public Service Commission is investigating the cause.
Mountaineer Gas Company said a high-pressure water main break infiltrated the gas distribution system in that area on Nov. 10, 2023. The company reported that it has made progress on removing water from its 46 miles of natural gas lines in the West Side. Full restoration of natural gas services is anticipated within the next seven days, according to a release.
“I have spoken with the vice president of Mountaineer Gas, and we’re closely following their progress in restoring service to families,” Justice said. “From what I understand, it is no easy task, but they expressed they are diligently working to get gas turned back on as fast as possible. I have offered any state resources they may need to assist them.”
This will not be an easy or quick fix, according to Justice, so meals will be provided through various local charities, including senior centers and churches, in the coming weeks.
“The other big problem is making sure people are fed hot meals, especially through the Thanksgiving holiday next week,” Justice said. “We have both Kanawha Valley Senior Center and Lincoln County Senior Center pitching in to provide hundreds of meals. We are also working with West Virginia Health Right and A More Excellent Way Life Center Church on the West Side to take care of families. If this outage continues through Thanksgiving, we will make sure families are fed.”
Working with the West Virginia Emergency Management Division, Kanawha County Emergency Management, and the City of Charleston, the guard will be delivering bottled water along with various warming and cooking supplies to the West Virginia Health Right West Side Clinic located at 511 Central Avenue, Charleston on Thursday morning, Nov. 16, 2023. The time is yet to be determined.
Mountaineer Gas told the Gazette-Mail on Wednesday that customers will be receiving credits on their bills, although the credit may not apply until a future bill.
