San Mateo County confirmed for the primary time the presence of hen flu in a yard poultry flock in San Mateo this week after the proprietor contacted the state agriculture division’s Sick Fowl Hotline.
The H5N1 incident was considered one of 49 yard flock infections documented throughout the nation — together with 38 in California — by the U.S. Division of Agriculture. No human an infection has been present in affiliation with the flock, however the county’s well being division reminded yard poultry and livestock homeowners to take precautions reminiscent of handwashing to forestall transmission.
The county well being division mentioned that is its first reported case of yard flock H5N1 because the preliminary outbreak of the extremely contagious avian virus started in 2022, prompting Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency.
The Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention logged the primary extreme and to date solely deadly human case of H5N1 within the U.S. in Louisiana final December after the particular person’s publicity to sick and lifeless birds in a yard flock. Whereas there’s nonetheless no proof the virus is able to human-to-human transmission, the loss of life raised issues about elevated probabilities of the influenza’s mutation right into a pressure that may unfold amongst individuals.
The California Division of Public Well being has counted 38 human circumstances – over half of the 67 circumstances nationwide. The CDC nonetheless charges human threat to the general public as low.
The county well being division’s spokesperson mentioned it’s troublesome to know what number of yard flocks there are within the county or the state as a result of they don’t must be registered.
People can transport and unfold the virus to different animals and contract it themselves via oblique and direct contact with sick or lifeless animals and their saliva, mucous or feces, in addition to surfaces with H5N1, reminiscent of fingers, clothes, footwear, and the ft and fur of rodents and pets reminiscent of cats and canines.
The San Mateo Division of Agriculture/Weights and Measures supplies recommendation on how yard flock homeowners can detect indicators of avian flu of their birds, in addition to illness in different pets that may carry and transmit the virus.
Agricultural commissioner Koren Widdel mentioned in an announcement that easy biosecurity measures reminiscent of washing fingers earlier than and after dealing with birds or their eggs and disinfecting footwear after strolling in areas within the presence of poultry and birds can scale back the unfold of hen flu.
Folks with sick or lifeless birds or different animals ought to alert a veterinarian or name CDFA’s Sick Fowl Hotline at (866) 922-BIRD (2473). County residents who encounter injured or sick or lifeless wild birds or different wildlife domestically can name the Peninsula Humane Society at (650) 340-7022.
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