The US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) confirmed the first highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) cases in a commercial turkey flock in two months in California last week.
The agency confirmed the outbreak, on Sept. 18 in Merced County, affected 62,800 birds. Earlier in the year, commercial table egg pullets and commercial table egg layers were affected in the county. The last time the virus was discovered in a commercial poultry flock in the United States was July 18.
Along with the ongoing threat of HPAI in birds, animal health officials across the country have been dealing with increasing numbers of outbreaks of the virus in dairy cow herds. APHIS also reported the virus was discovered in six dairy herds in Merced County, where the turkey flocks were infected last week.
The agency said 16 livestock herds in California have been affected since Sept. 18. The California Department of Public Health has reiterated that the virus isn’t considered a significant public health threat. Read more