Six new US virulent Newcastle disease cases confirmed

Six new cases of virulent Newcastle disease (vND) were reported in California during the week beginning December 20 and ending December 26, marking the second consecutive week with six new cases.

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(Dave Gostisha | Freeimages.com)
(Dave Gostisha | Freeimages.com)

Six new cases of virulent Newcastle disease (vND) were reported in California during the week beginning December 20 and ending December 26, marking the second consecutive week with six new cases.

According to a report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), four of the new cases were found in San Bernardino County and one new case each was confirmed in Riverside County and Los Angeles County. The cases in San Betrnardino and Riverside counties were confirmed in “backyard exhibition chickens,” while the one in Los Angeles County was in chicks at a retail feed store.

Samples from the flocks were tested at the California Animal Health & Food Safety Laboratory System (CAHFS) and were confirmed at the APHIS National Veterinary Services laboratories in Ames, Iowa.

The affected flocks were quickly euthanized, according to a notice from APHIS.

Prior to these six cases, there had only been two cases of vND in California in December. There were four cases confirmed in November and none in October.

Federal and state agencies are conducting additional surveillance in the area.

As of December 26, USDA has confirmed 470 premises as infected with vND, with most of those in California. Of those cases, 262 have been in Riverside County, 158 have been in San Bernardino County, 46 have been in Los Angeles County, and there has been one case each in Ventura County, Alameda County and San Diego County, California. Outside of California, the virus has been detected in Utah County, Utah, and Coconino County, Arizona.

The current vND outbreak began in May 2018, when vND was confirmed in a “backyard exhibition chicken” in Los Angeles County.

Before 2018, the last time vND, formerly known as exotic Newcastle disease, had been detected in the United States was in 2003.

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