Saturday, March 05, 2022

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USDA finds avian flu in Missouri commercial chicken flock

The USDA Friday said it confirmed avian flu in a flock of Missouri broiler chickens. 
File photo by format35/Shutterstock


March 4 (UPI) -- The United States Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said Friday it has confirmed highly pathogenic avian influenza in a flock of Missouri chickens.

"State officials quarantined the affected premises, and birds on the properties will be depopulated to prevent the spread of the disease," APHIS said in a press statement, "Birds from the flock will not enter the food system."

APHIS said it tested a flock of commercial broiler chickens in Stoddard County that "confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza."

Samples were tested at the University of Missouri Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory and confirmed at the APHIS National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) in Ames, Iowa.

APHIS said it is working closely with state animal health officials on a joint incident response.

Citing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, APHIS said the recent avian flu detections do not present an immediate public health concern.

Federal and state partners are jointly working on additional surveillance and testing in area around the flock that tested positive for avian flu.

The United States has the strongest avian flu surveillance program in the world, APHIS said, and USDA is working to actively look for the disease in U.S. commercial poultry operations.

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