Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
It was a backyard herd in Vermont got sick with H5N1, agriculture officials said Thursday other This month reports bird flu-related animal deaths outside of commercial farms and wildlife.
The USDA and state regulators said they became aware of the incident on Dec. 18 after a bird in a non-commercial flock died. The next day, they confirmed the H5N1 strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), and two dozen “birdless” flocks were followed by more deaths. (Officials did not specify the type or species of the birds.) The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (VAAFM) said it quarantined and later destroyed the rest of the flock.
News of the sick birds came as the Oregon Department of Agriculture said linked the death of a domestic cat to the H5N1 strain found in Northwest Naturals brand “raw and frozen pet food.” It happened in early December at a wildlife sanctuary in Washington state Killed 20 big cats. The incidents are part of a larger wave of H5N1 disease affecting poultry, cattle, cats and humans, as well as wild birds. However, Vermont officials said of the backyard herd: “Laboratory testing confirmed that this HPAI case is not the strain currently affecting dairy herds in other states across the country.”
VAAFM added, “Although HPAI is considered a low risk to human health, individuals who come into contact with infected birds or their environment are monitored by the Vermont Department of Health.” Officials said it was the fourth such backyard herd reported in the state in less than three years, and the animal owners protect your birds and cattle from H5N1 with “proper biosecurity practices.”
Documented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 65 human cases On December 24, H5 avian influenza was reported in the United States, almost all of which was linked to dairy herds and poultry farms in California, Washington state, and Colorado. The agency also said it was aware of seven “suspected cases” in California, Washington, Arizona and Delaware.
Human infections have mostly been mild, but the CDC has confirmed that the first “severe” case In the US in early December. Authorities attributed the incident to backyard poultry rather than human-to-human transmission.
On its watchdog website, the CDC wrote that “the current public health risk (from bird flu) is low.” However, the agency advises people to avoid close contact with wild birds and any infected animals. stick to pasteurized dairy products.
