A new strain of bird flu has been detected at a duck farm in California, marking the first time this variant has been found in poultry in the U.S., according to an international agency.
The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) reported that “highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N9” was confirmed at a commercial duck farm in Merced County, California, as stated in a report seen by AFP on Tuesday.
“This is the first confirmed case of HPAI H5N9 in poultry in the United States,” said WOAH, which monitors global animal diseases.
The outbreak, the origin of which remains unknown, was confirmed on January 13, and all 119,000 birds at the farm were culled.
The H5N1 bird flu strain, which is prevalent among animals in the U.S., was also found at the farm.
U.S. animal health authorities have initiated “comprehensive epidemiological investigations” and ramped up surveillance in response to the outbreak, WOAH added.
The emergence of this new bird flu strain in the U.S. coincides with President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the country from the World Health Organization (WHO).
The U.S. is the largest contributor to the WHO, which leads the global response to health emergencies.
Health experts have warned about the potential pandemic risk posed by bird flu, which has been showing signs of mutating as it spreads among animals and infects people in the U.S. Experts have been urging U.S. authorities to increase surveillance and share more information about the bird flu situation.
If the U.S. and the WHO cease cooperation and data sharing, tracking the spread of viruses globally will become more challenging.
The WHO expressed concern about the U.S. withdrawal, calling it “a concern for global health.”
So far, 67 people in the U.S. have contracted bird flu, with one death reported in early January, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
These infections were caused by direct contact with infected animals, and the WHO has stated that no human-to-human transmission has occurred.
However, scientists worry that if a person becomes infected with both bird flu and seasonal flu, the bird flu virus could mutate into a strain that spreads between humans, potentially leading to a human pandemic.