Bird Flu Spreads to Vermont’s Farm Poultry

The group back in Vermont was patients and H5N1, agriculture officials said Thursday, following other Reports of animal deaths from bird flu this month extend beyond commercial farms and wildlife.

US agriculture officials and government officials said they learned of the incident on December 18, when a non-commercial bird died. The next day, they confirmed the presence of the H5N1 type of avian influenza (HPAI), and many deaths followed a group of twelve “chicken-free” birds. (Officials did not specify the breed or species of the birds.) The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (VAAFM) said it quarantined and then killed the entire flock.

The news of the sick birds came as the Oregon Department of Agriculture reported they linked the death of a house cat to the H5N1 strain identified in Northwest Naturals-type “raw and dried meat products.” And at the beginning of December, it spread to the wildlife park in Washington state killed 20 big cats. These incidents are part of a flurry of H5N1 infections affecting chickens, cattle, cats, and humans, as well as wild birds. However, Vermont officials said of the backyard herd: “Lab testing confirmed that the HPAI issue is not a problem affecting dairy cattle in other states around the country.”

VAAFM added, “Although HPAI appears to pose little risk to public health, people who have had contact with infected birds or their habitat are being monitored by the Vermont Department of Health.” Officials say this is the fourth case involving pets reported in the state in less than three years, and they are appealing to pet owners to follow suit. to protect their birds and cattle derived from H5N1 with “proper biological immunity.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has written 65 civil cases of H5 bird flu in the US since December 24, almost all of which had contact with dairy cattle and poultry in California, Washington state, and Colorado. The agency also said it is aware of seven “cases” in California, Washington, Arizona, and Delaware.

Human infections are usually rare, but the CDC confirmed this The first “hard” case. in the US in early December. Officials linked the issue to backyard chickens, not human-to-human transmission.

On their next page, the CDC wrote that “the risk to public health (from bird flu) is low.” However, the agency advises people to avoid close contact with wild birds and any infected animals and to stick to pasteurized milk products.