Birds play an underrecognized role in spreading tick-borne disease due to their capacity for long-distance travel and tendency to split their time in different parts of the world – patterns that are...

In a follow-up on the Virulent Newcastle Disease (vND) situation in California, the USDA has confirmed 117 cases of vND in backyard birds in California since mid-May: 84 in San Bernardino County, 16...

Additional cases of Virulent Newcastle Disease (vND) in backyard birds in San Bernardino County have been confirmed. Bird owners in Southern California are responding to outreach provided over the past...

Since the first Virulent Newcastle Disease (vND) was confirmed in San Bernardino County, California on May 24, a total of a dozen have been reported in the county. Virulent Newcastle disease has not...

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has detected virulent Newcastle disease in a small flock of backyard exhibition chickens in Los Angeles County. The detection has been confirmed...

Usutu virus, a flavivirus of African origin, was first detected in Austria in 2001, when it caused a severe bird die-off, mainly of blackbirds. The virus was active in the eastern part of Austria until...

Every year around this time we start to see reports of swimmer’s itch around the country. Common lore in the media is that this is caused by “duck fleas” in freshwater and ‘sea...

Crows are smart, highly social animals that congregate in flocks of tens of thousands. Such large, highly concentrated populations can easily spread disease — not only amongst their own species,...

According to the Control of Communicable Diseases Manual, all mammals are susceptible to rabies. Raccoons, skunks, foxes, bats, dogs, coyotes and cats are the likely suspects. Other animals like otters...

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Many people remember the arrival of West Nile in North America in 1999, if only because the initial outbreak killed not just wild crows but also exotic birds in the Bronx Zoo. In the following years, a...