Three additional cases of virulent Newcastle disease (vND) recently were confirmed in California, two in backyard chicken flocks and one in a live bird market.  Birds from the affected live bird market, located in Los Angeles County, have been depopulated, and the market has been cleaned and disinfected to prevent additional spread of the disease. As a precautionary measure, all 34 markets in the Los Angeles area have also been cleaned and disinfected.

A white free range chicken.

Samples from the flocks, which experienced increased mortality, were tested at the California Animal Health & Food Safety Laboratory System (CAHFS).  The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services (APHIS) National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) in Ames, Iowa, confirmed all findings.  For a list of cases visit the USDA website.

Additional cases of low-pathogenicity avian influenza (LPAI) were confirmed in Stanislaus County, California.  The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA),  working with the USDA,  established a 10-kilometer surveillance zone.   During surveillance of premises within this zone, two more flocks were confirmed positive.  One is a commercial organic turkey flock, and the other is a small mixed poultry organic flock, bringing the total number of infected flocks to four.  Three of the four farms affected are National Poultry Improvement Plan [NPIP] commercial participants.  The other 18 flocks in the Surveillance Zone continue to test negative for avian influenza.

The infected birds on the first two premises have been euthanized and disposed to stop further spread.  The remaining two affected flocks are under quarantine, and all movement of poultry or products on or off the farms have halted while state and federal officials work with the owners to determine the most appropriate way to stop further spread.