The virulent Newcastle disease (vND) quarantine in southern California has been ended, as there have not been any new cases of vND in the area since February.
The disease was first discovered in May 2018 in a “backyard exhibition chicken” in San Bernardino County. Since that time, 474 premises had confirmed cases. The virus was confirmed in San Bernardino, Riverside, Los Angeles, Ventura, San Diego and Alameda counties in California, as well as in Utah County, Utah, and Coconino County, Arizona. The majority of the cases were in backyard exhibition chickens, but commercial egg operations, a research facility, retail feed stores and backyard poultry flocks were also affected.
Veterinary officials with the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) worked together in the control of the disease.
“We have eagerly anticipated this day and are extremely proud of the tireless work of the Virulent Newcastle Disease Task Force,” said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross. “While we extend gratitude to the hundreds of dedicated and skilled USDA, CDFA and California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System employees who worked for over two years to achieve this goal, often in adverse conditions, we also want to thank the thousands of poultry owners in Southern California who made the sacrifices and investments needed to eradicate this virus from California.”
New focus to keep vND away
With the lack of new vND detections in California, AOHIS is transitioning its efforts from a response focus to a prevention plan aimed at keeping vND from recurring in the region.
The plan will be lead by the California Avian Health Education Network (CAHEN) and will focus on disease monitoring and continual support for biosecurity training.
“We hope to continue working with bird-owning communities to prevent a reintroduction of widespread disease, so that we never have to place an areawide vND quarantine in Southern California again,” said California State Veterinarian Dr. Annette Jones.
To continue to protect California flocks, poultry entering California must either have a certificate of veterinary inspection demonstrating good health or a National Poultry Improvement Program (NPIP) certificate. CDFA retains the authority to monitor and test poultry so that any future infections can be stopped quickly, minimizing potential harm. Additionally, CDFA and USDA, in partnership with many bird enthusiasts in Southern California, are committed to on-going monitoring for disease and continual support for biosecurity training.
All backyard poultry owners and commercial operations are also being encouraged to practice biosecurity measures to help prevent the introduction of disease when people enter or depart the premises, to routinely check birds for signs of illness, and to report any incidence of suspected vND or other bird diseases.
