Cases of virulent Newcastle disease in California have continued into a third month.
The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service confirmed seven additional cases of virulent Newcastle disease in backyard exhibition chickens and one case in backyard hobby turkeys in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties, California. Those new cases were confirmed on August 1.
Of the new cases, three were in San Bernardino County and four were in Los Angeles County. The only other California county to have confirmed cases is Riverside.
There have been 77 cases of virulent Newcastle disease, formerly known as exotic Newcastle disease, in the United States in 2018. The first case of virulent Newcastle disease was confirmed in a backyard exhibition chicken flock in Los Angeles County on May 17. A complete list of confirmed cases is available on the APHIS website.
Virulent Newcastle disease has not been found in commercial poultry in the United States since 2003.
APHIS reminds consumers that no human cases of Newcastle disease have ever occurred from eating poultry products. Properly cooked poultry products are safe to eat. In very rare instances, people working directly with sick birds can become infected. Symptoms are usually very mild and limited to conjunctivitis. Infection is easily prevented by using standard personal protective equipment.
In addition to practicing good biosecurity, all bird owners should report sick birds or unusual bird deaths to State/Federal officials, either through their state veterinarian or USDA’s toll-free number at +1.866.536.7593. Additional information on biosecurity for backyard flocks can be found at the Biosecurity for Birds website.
