Mississippi state and federal officers have confirmed an outbreak of a pressure of chicken flu not reported within the U.S. since 2017, with quarantine and depopulation efforts already underway.
In a press release launched March 12, the Mississippi Board of Animal Well being acknowledged that poultry from a business broiler breeder hen flock in Noxubee County had examined optimistic for extremely pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).
“The State Veterinarian has quarantined the affected premises, and birds on the property have been depopulated to prevent the spread of the disease. Birds from the flock have not entered the food system,” the board acknowledged.
Greg Flynn, spokesperson for the Mississippi State Division of Well being, confirmed to The Hill that his division was conscious of the outbreak and that no human instances have been reported.
The Animal and Plant Well being Inspection Service (APHIS) underneath the Division of Agriculture confirmed the outbreak was linked to the H7N9 pressure, marking the primary outbreak of this pressure occurring in business poultry within the U.S. since 2017. The APHIS famous this outbreak is unrelated to the H5N1 chicken flu outbreaks at present impacting business flocks in different elements of the U.S.
“The flock of roughly 46,000 birds was experiencing high mortality, and samples tested at the Mississippi Veterinary Research & Diagnostic Laboratory, a member of the National Animal Health Laboratory Network, were presumptive positive for HPAI then confirmed at APHIS’ National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL),” the company acknowledged.
Each the Mississippi Board of Animal Well being and the APHIS stated the chance to the general public stays low because the virus shouldn’t be a meals security threat when eggs and poultry are correctly dealt with and cooked. The Mississippi board referred to as on dwelling poultry house owners to follow “good biosecurity” and to concentrate on indicators of chicken flu signs.
