The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has gone a full week without confirming any new cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza. This is the first time since March that the federal agency has gone this long without reporting any new cases.
For each of the past five business days, APHIS has sent an email to stakeholders, notifying them that no new cases have been reported.
The last confirmed case in the United States was reported on June 9, when the virus was detected in a backyard flock of mixed game fowl in Sioux County, Iowa. The last day APHIS confirmed a case of avian influenza in a commercial flock was June 5, when it was confirmed in two Minnesota turkey flocks – one in Kandiyohi County and one in Brown County.
USDA officials had predicted that avian influenza cases would become less common with the arrival of summer, as the heat and sunlight both make it more difficult for the virus to survive.
According to APHIS, there have been 222 detections of avian influenza in the United States since December 19, 2014. The number of birds affected by avian influenza since that time is more than 47 million.
To track confirmed cases of the North American avian influenza outbreak, see WATTAgNet's avian influenza tracker map and bookmark the avian influenza update page for news about and analysis of avian influenza.
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