New bird flu cases identified in Pennsylvania and Utah, USDA says
By Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – New hen flu circumstances have been detected in a industrial hen flock in Pennsylvania and a yard flock in Utah, the U.S. Division of Agriculture stated on Saturday, with the outbreak now having unfold to greater than 30 states within the nation.
The division stated earlier this month it was trying into vaccines as an choice to guard poultry in opposition to lethal hen flu because the nation faces its worst outbreak since 2015. The present outbreak has worn out properly over twenty million chickens and turkeys in industrial flocks since February.
“Samples from the Pennsylvania flock have been examined on the Pennsylvania Veterinary Laboratory and samples from the Utah flock have been examined on the Utah Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, each a part of the Nationwide Animal Well being Laboratory Community,” the USDA stated in a press release on Saturday.
Federal and state officers have been working collectively on further surveillance and testing in areas round affected flocks, the USDA stated.
The latest extremely pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) circumstances don’t current an instantaneous public well being concern, U.S. authorities stated.
Beforehand, america has eschewed vaccines, apprehensive that importers will ban U.S. poultry shipments as a result of they can not distinguish contaminated birds from vaccinated ones. America is the world’s second-largest poultry meat exporter. In 2020, the worth of U.S. poultry and poultry product exports to the world reached $4.2 billion.
Chook flu has hit poultry in Europe and Asia along with North America, and the USDA is working with different nations on choices for vaccines.
Buying and selling has suffered, as importers like China have blocked imports from many U.S. states with outbreaks.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Enhancing by Daniel Wallis)
