NewsDesk @bactiman63

The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in two non-commercial backyard flocks (non-poultry) in Connecticut and Iowa.

Image/National Atlas of the United States

Samples from the Connecticut flock were tested at the University of Connecticut Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory and samples from the Iowa flock were tested at the Iowa State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, both part of the National Animal Health Laboratory Network.  The cases were confirmed at the APHIS National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) in Ames, Iowa.

APHIS is working closely with state animal health officials in Connecticut and Iowa on joint incident responses. State officials quarantined the affected premises, and birds on the properties will be depopulated to prevent the spread of the disease. Birds from the flocks will not enter the food system.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the recent HPAI detections in birds do not present an immediate public health concern.  No human cases of these avian influenza viruses have been detected in the United States.

Iowa
Image/National Atlas of the United States