Hard on the heels of an outbreak on a 14,000-bird duck farm
at St. Catharines, the United States Department of Agriculture has confirmed
three outbreaks of avian influenza.
The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) found
evidence of low-pathogenicity avian flu at three live-poultry markets in New
Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.
APHIS this week confirmed the presence of H5 bird flu virus
during routine testing. The strain in the flock at St. Catharines is H5N2. That
flock has been euthanized and there is a three-kilometre quarantine zone where
nothing can move with a permit from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
U.S. authorities are working to trace the possible sources
of the virus and have closed the affected markets, which usually supply fresh
poultry from backyard breeders and commercial farms to specific ethnic markets
or groups.
The agency also said the affected markets are following
established protocols for responding to avian influenza outbreaks of any kind,
including market closures, poultry depopulation or sales and cleaning and
disinfection of the affected areas.
USDA also plans to report the LPAI findings to the World
Organization for Animal Health in its regular six-month and annual animal
health reports in addition to reporting the findings immediately to trading
partners with bilateral agreements. That includes Canada.
