Delaware and Michigan are the latest states to report highly pathogenic bird flu cases, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has confirmed. The virus, also known as bird flu, does not pose an immediate threat to the public, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Cases were confirmed in a flock of commercial birds in New Castle County, Delaware, and in a non-commercial flock in Kalamazoo County, Michigan. Officials from both states have quarantined the affected premises. The birds will be “depopulated” to prevent the disease from spreading and will not enter the food system, the USDA said.
The department’s inspection service works with animal health officials in Delaware and Michigan.
According to the CDC, birds can catch the flu when they come in contact with the “saliva, runny nose or feces” of an infected bird. The flu is considered “highly contagious among birds” and has the potential to kill certain domesticated species such as chickens and turkeys.
While human cases of bird flu are rare, some have been reported, the CDC said. Humans can become infected when the virus reaches the eyes, nose, or mouth. Humans cannot get the disease from poultry or eggs that are handled and cooked properly at an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit, the USDA said. Once a person is infected, symptoms range from conjunctivitis, fever, diarrhea and vomiting to severe respiratory illness and neurological changes, the CDC said.
Over the past decade, bird flu has become more common and spread to more parts of the world, according to the CDC. Since early 2022, several states, including Maine, New York, Virginia and South Carolina, have detected the virus. In Indianamore than 150,000 birds have been affected by the virus, according to the Indiana Board of Animal Health.
Prior to the 2022 outbreak, the last time a case was reported in the U.S. was in 2016, according to the CDC.
Despite the national outbreak, the CDC said it is still safe to eat “properly handled and cooked poultry.” No human cases have been detected in the US
- In:
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Agriculture
- United States Department of Agriculture
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