Avian influenza is spreading among pet birds in Vermont

There was a backyard herd in Vermont sick H5N1 virus, agricultural officials said Thursday last Reports of animal deaths linked to bird flu this month outside commercial farms and wildlife.

The USDA and state regulators said they learned of the incident on Dec. 18, after one bird in the non-commercial flock died. The next day, they confirmed the presence of the H5N1 strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), and more deaths followed in a flock of “non-poultry” birds. (Officials have not identified the species or species of bird.) The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (VAAFM) said it quarantined and later euthanized the rest of the flock.

News of the sick birds came as the Oregon Department of Agriculture said Link to the death of a house cat For the H5N1 strain I discovered in Northwest Naturals brand “raw and frozen pet foods.” Earlier in December, there was an outbreak of the disease at a wildlife preserve in Washington state Killed 20 big cats. These incidents are part of a larger wave of H5N1 disease affecting poultry, livestock, cats and humans, along with wild birds. However, Vermont officials said of the backyard cow herd: “Laboratory testing has confirmed that this case of HPAI virus is not the strain currently affecting dairy cow herds in other states across the country.”

“Although HPAI is considered a low risk to human health, individuals who have been in contact with infected birds or their environment are being monitored by the Vermont Department of Health,” VAAFM added. Officials noted that this is the fourth case of its kind to be detected in a backyard herd in the state in less than three years, and they urged animal owners to do so. Protect their birds and livestock from the H5N1 virus with “appropriate biosecurity practices.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has documented 65 human cases Of H5 avian influenza in the United States as of December 24, almost all associated with dairy herds and poultry farms in California, Washington state, and Colorado. The agency also said it is aware of seven “possible cases” across California, Washington, Arizona and Delaware.

Human infection was largely mild, but the CDC confirmed that The first “serious” case. In the United States earlier in December. Officials linked this case to domestic poultry, and not to human-to-human transmission.

“The current public health risk (from avian influenza) is low,” the CDC wrote on its tracking website. However, the agency advises people to avoid close contact with wild birds and any infected animals Stick to pasteurized milk products.