More avian flu confirmed in US dairy cattle and poultry flocks as Arizona reports wastewater detections

The US Division of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Well being Inspection Service (APHIS) as we speak confirmed 12 extra H5N1 avian flu detections in dairy cattle, all from California, as extra outbreaks have been confirmed in poultry throughout 4 states.

The newly confirmed detections in California’s dairy cattle, the place outbreaks have been beneath manner since late August, push the state’s whole to 697 and the nationwide whole to 912 throughout 16 states.

Most of California’s outbreaks in dairy cattle have affected herds within the Central Valley, however detections have been lately confirmed within the southern a part of the state, which led to the state’s governor declaring a state of emergency on December 18 to liberate extra sources for battling the virus in dairy cows, poultry, and other people uncovered to sick animals or contaminated merchandise.

Poultry outbreaks embody massive Ohio layer farm

Of the newly confirmed outbreaks in poultry, three of the 4 states had extra detections on business farms, together with a layer farm in Ohio’s Darke County that has about 1 million birds. The occasion marks the state’s second H5N1 detection this month.

Elsewhere, the virus struck a broiler farm in California’s Sacramento County that homes almost 154,000 birds. In Michigan, the virus was discovered on one other turkey farm in Ottawa County, the second in per week. The ability has 75,500 birds.

The virus continues to strike yard birds, with the most recent occasion involving a location in Missouri’s Pemiscot County with a flock of 70 birds.

USDA fine-tunes poultry indemnity situations

In associated developments, APHIS as we speak introduced updates to its situations for poultry services to obtain indemnity and compensation after flocks take a look at optimistic for extremely pathogenic avian influenza.

Recognizing the significance of robust biosecurity measures as a device for battling the virus in poultry, the group stated it now requires farmers to endure a biosecurity audit earlier than restocking poultry and receiving future indemnity payouts.

Regardless of federal, state, native, and trade outreach, APHIS stated some farms proceed to face biosecurity challenges, with some experiencing a number of outbreaks on their farms.

Since 2022, when the H5N1 outbreak started in US poultry, APHIS has made funds to greater than 1,200 producers. Of these, 67 have had at the very least two outbreaks, and 18 premises have been contaminated three or extra instances. APHIS stated these with reinfections have acquired greater than $365 million of the almost $1.1 billion in compensation distributed to date.

Maricopa County stories wastewater detections

Arizona’s Maricopa County, an space that features Phoenix, as we speak stated its wastewater monitoring has turned up avian flu, although no human instances have been detected. The H5 subtype was detected by all three cities in Maricopa County that conduct wastewater monitoring: Phoenix, Shock, and Tempe. Nevertheless, it added that it’s not attainable to substantiate a exact supply location.

Earlier this month, the virus was detected at a poultry farm in Pinal County, in addition to in a yard flock and a zoo in Maricopa County. Genetic evaluation of the virus present in each Arizona counties suggests the virus is said to the genotype circulating in wild birds, which is completely different than the one circulating in dairy cattle, which has by no means been detected in Arizona.

Nick Staab, MD, MSPH, assistant medical director on the Maricopa Division of Public Well being, stated, “Provided that no human instances have been recognized in Maricopa County by our different illness detection strategies and there’s no current documented unfold of H5N1 influenza from human to human, the general threat of avian flu to individuals stays low.”