A strain of bird flu has been detected in New York, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed.
It comes after the Department of Agriculture reported the first outbreak of highly pathogenic avian flu in a commercial poultry operation since 2020, discovered in an Indiana turkey flock on February 9, causing some countries to limit shipments from the state. A total of 29,000 turkeys were culled as a result.
While four cases have been detected in Indiana, with a possible fifth yet to be confirmed, another outbreak has been detected in a non-commercial backyard flock of birds on Long Island in New York.
The USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) confirmed bird flu via samples tested at the Cornell University Animal Health Diagnostic Centre, as per AP.
In order to contain the spread of the disease, the Suffolk County site has been quarantined and other birds in the area on affected properties 'will be depopulated', the CDC said.
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The virus has also been detected in a backyard flock of mixed species birds northern Virginia, and a flock of commercial broiler chickens in Kentucky. All the birds in both flocks have been quarantined and will be killed to curb the spread.
Kentucky's discovery was particularly alarming given the farm is one of thousands that raises chicken for Tyson Foods Inc. However, the company has assured its products pose no risk for public consumption.
'Tyson Foods' chicken products remain safe: the USDA confirms that avian influenza does not pose a food safety risk to consumers in poultry that is properly prepared and cooked,' it said in a statement, as per The Independent.
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In a press release, the APHIS said, 'As part of existing avian influenza response plans, federal and state partners are working jointly on additional surveillance and testing in areas around the affected flock. The United States has the strongest AI surveillance program in the world, and USDA is working with its partners to actively look for the disease in commercial poultry operations, live bird markets and in migratory wild bird populations.'
Citing the CDC, it also urged, '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. As a reminder, the proper handling and cooking of poultry and eggs to an internal temperature of 165˚F kills bacteria and viruses.'
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Cameron Frew