Credit USDA
#16,581
Today the USDA announced the detection of another 108 wild birds with HPAI H5, adding 2 new states (Georgia & Connecticut) to the list that already included New Hampshire, Delaware, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland & Florida.
At least 3 states (Indiana, Kentucky and Virginia) have reported outbreaks in poultry.
While HPAI H5N1 is now considered to be a zoonotic virus, it is believed to pose a low risk to public health (see CDC Statement: `Low Risk' To Public From HPAI H5 Avian Flu), and is primarily considered a threat to wild birds and poultry.
The updated list of HPAI H5 detections now shows 247 entries.
The last time HPAI H5 threatened North America (2015), it affected 15 states and several provinces in Canada, and resulted in the loss of over 50 million commercially raised birds (see map below).
So far, the number of poultry farms that have been affected remains fairly low, but will likely remain so only if all poultry interests - large and small - immediately beef up their biosecurity against HPAI.
