H5N1 Strikes More US Poultry Flocks, Pet Cats

By Lisa Schnirring

As avian flu outbreaks continue to hit US poultry farms and backyard flocks, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) confirmed more H5N1 detections in five states, including a second commercial chicken farm in Georgia, the nation's top broiler-producing state.

Georgia's outbreak involves another broiler facility in Elbert County, with 130,400 birds at the location. The state recently ordered a temporary ban on live-bird sales and exhibitions following its first outbreak on a commercial farm.

APHIS also reported outbreaks at broiler farms in two other states, one in Maryland's Caroline County at a producer with 108,400 birds and another in Virginia's Accomack County at a location that has 441,000 birds. Last week when announcing the presumed positive in the flock, the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services said it is collaborating with counterparts in Maryland and Delaware on a unified response to avian flu incidents on the Delmarva peninsula. 

In Missouri, the virus was confirmed at a large egg-laying farm in Newton County that has 1.175 million birds.

Elsewhere, officials confirmed H5N1 at a backyard farm in Oregon's Umatilla County that has 50 birds.

More detections in cats, cows

In related developments, APHIS today, in an update on H5N1 detections in mammals, reported six more confirmations in domestic cats from five different states, most with January sample collection dates. Two detections are in California, with positives also reported in Kansas, Louisiana, Iowa, and South Dakota.

APHIS also confirmed the virus in a sample from a harbor seal in Illinois (Cook County) and a serval in Michigan (Kent County). Both animals were sampled this month.

In dairy cow developments, APHIS confirmed one more detection in a dairy herd, another in California, raising the national total to 930 and the state's total to 713.