US Reports First Outbreak of H5N9 Bird Flu in California
The United States has reported its first outbreak of H5N9 bird flu on a duck farm in California, according to the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH). The outbreak was detected on a farm in Merced County, California, where almost 119,000 birds had been killed by December 2.
The confirmed case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N9 is the first of its kind in poultry in the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is conducting comprehensive investigations and enhanced surveillance in response to the outbreak.
This is not the first time the US has faced a bird flu outbreak. In recent years, H5N1 has been the strain that has caused the most damage, leading to the culling of hundreds of millions of poultry and killing a person in Louisiana. H5N9 is a less common strain, but still poses a threat.
The US Department of Agriculture emphasizes the need for urgent action to prevent a new public health crisis following the outbreak. This comes as California has declared a state of emergency to prevent the spread of the bird flu.