Virulent Newcastle disease (vND) has now been confirmed in four California counties, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
Ventura County was added to the list of counties to have birds affected by the disease, following the August 15 confirmation of vND in a flock of backyard exhibition chickens there.
The Ventura County case was one of six cases of vND to be reported in California backyard flocks on August 15. Riverside County and San Bernardino County each had two confirmed cases, while Los Angeles County had one confirmed case.
On August 10, five cases of the disease were confirmed in San Bernardino County, while Los Angeles County and Riverside County each had one case.
To date, 106 cases of vND have been reported in the United States since the disease was first discovered in Los Angeles County on May 17. Every case so far has involved backyard exhibition chickens, although one affected flock also included other species.
A complete list of confirmed cases is available on the APHIS website.
APHIS noted that vND, which was previously known as exotic Newcastle disease, has not been found in commercial poultry in the United States since 2003.
Precautions
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.
