South Carolina H7N3 avian influenza situation resolved

South Carolina can now officially consider itself free of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) said in a report.

Roy Graber Headshot
(Budabar | Bigstock)
(Budabar | Bigstock)

South Carolina can now officially consider itself free of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) said in a report.

In early April, the presence of HPAI of the H7N3 serotype was found in a flock of 34,160 commercial turkeys in Chesterfield County, South Carolina. In the case, 1,583 turkeys died, while the others were depopulated.

That HPAI case followed 12 cases of low pathogenic avian influenza in the area. Eleven of those were in North Carolina and the other was in South Carolina. The HPAI virus found in the Chesterfield County turkeys was believed to have mutated from the low pathogenic strains. South Carolina state veterinarian Dr. Boyd Parr said at the time he believed wild waterfowl were the likely source of introducing avian influenza into domestic poultry flocks in the Carolinas.

In addition to depopulating the affected Chesterfield County turkeys, the affected premises was placed under quarantine. Other control measures applied include zoning, movement control inside the country, surveillance within and outside the containment and protection zones, disposal of byproducts and waste.

In a report on the OIE webpage, published on August 5, the organization stated that the situation was now resolved, and that no further reports on the matter will be issued.

“The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and South Carolina State Veterinarian’s Office, part of Clemson University Livestock Poultry Health (CULPH) responded swiftly to the single case of HPAI H7N3 and conducted a comprehensive epidemiological investigation of this incident. The last and only confirmed detection of HPAI H7N3 in poultry was made on April 8, 2020,” the report read.

OIE also noted that in addition to having no further HPAI detections, the state of South Carolina has met the following:

  • Mandatory surveillance in the State and control areas has been completed with negative results for HPAI. As a precaution, additional enhanced surveillance and procedures may continue in the State and area.
  • •Depopulation of the infected premises has been completed and appropriate disposal was completed.
  • Cleaning and disinfection of the infected premises (including, but not limited to, outside areas, equipment, trucks, and other fomites) has been completed.
  • All routine and enhanced surveillance samples have tested negative for avian influenza.
  • No HPAI has been detected in over 3 months. 

The South Carolina case was the first case of HPAI in the United States since 2017.

China trade can resume

Following the confirmation of the presence of avian influenza in South Carolina, trade bans were enacted. Most significantly, China banned the import of poultry products originating from South Carolina.

However, effective August 6, South Carolina poultry products – with the exception of those that were derived from birds raised, processed or slaughtered between April 8 and August 5 – have regained eligibility to be exported to China, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) export library.

View our continuing coverage of the global avian influenza situation.

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