A new case of virulent Newcastle disease (vND) has been reported in California, which is the first confirmed case in the United States in more than a month.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) confirmed on February 28 announced that backyard exhibition chickens at a property in San Bernardino County, California, tested positive for vND.
Confirmed cases of vND had slowed down in recent months, as the most recent flock to test positive for vND was confirmed on January 13. Only three cases have been confirmed so far in 2020, with the other occurring on January 8. All three cases confirmed so far this year were in backyard exhibition chickens in San Bernardino County.
The current outbreak of vND began in May 2018, and since that time, 474 premises have had confirmed cases. Nearly all of those cases took place in California. Riverside County has had the most cases with 262, followed by 162 in San Bernardino County, 46 in Riverside County, and one each in Ventura, San Diego and Alameda counties.
Outside of California, there has been a single case in Utah County, Utah, and Coconino County, Arizona.
The majority of those cases have also been in backyard exhibition chickens. However, the presence of the disease has also been confirmed in three commercial egg operations, a research facility, at retail feed stores and in backyard poultry flocks.
Prior to the beginning of this outbreak in 2018, the last time vND, formerly known as exotic Newcastle disease’s presence had been confirmed in the United States was in 2003.
Virlent Newcastle disease is a contagious and fatal viral disease affecting the respiratory, nervous and digestive systems of birds and poultry. The disease is so virulent, according to APHIS, that many birds and poultry die without showing any clinical signs.