H5N9 bird flu outbreak: New virus strain detected on California farm
CA declared an emergency, how serious is bird flu?
Bird flu in California continues to threaten birds and cattle 34 people in the state have tested positive for the bird flu, but health agencies continue to stress that the risk to the general public remains low. LiveNOW's Christina Evans breaks down the latest with Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease expert.
A new strain of a highly pathogenic and rare strain of bird flu has been reported on a duck farm in California, according to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).
Health officials also detected a more common H5N1 strain of bird flu on the same farm which is located in Merced County, California.
"This is the first confirmed case of HPAI H5N9 in poultry in the United States," WOAH’s report stated.
As a result of the outbreak, 118,954 birds were killed to avoid further spread as of Dec. 2, 2024.
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FILE - Hundreds of ducks on a farm in 2017. (Photo by DON EMMERT/AFP via Getty Images)
What is H5N9?
What we know:
H5N9 is a strain of the H5N1, H7N9, and H9N2 bird flu virus subtypes, according to the National Institute of Health, but far less common.
The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), in conjunction with State Animal Health and Wildlife Officials, are conducting an investigation into the outbreak, WOAH's report said.
What we don't know:
Though it was first detected in 2015, little is known about this particular strain of H5N9. And while mortality rates with bird flu in general are particularly low, the National Institute of Health warned this novel strain needs to be watched carefully.
"Whether this novel H5N9 virus will cause human infections from its avian host and become a pandemic subtype is not known yet. It is therefore imperative to assess the risk of emergence of this novel reassortant virus with potential transmissibility to public health," the institute said.
What is bird flu?
H5N1 is the most common strain of the avian influenza A virus and was responsible for the first bird flu-related death in the U.S. earlier this month.
The disease is usually spread between birds and though it’s rare for the disease to be transmitted to humans, it is possible, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Dig deeper:
To date, the H5N1 and H7N9 virus strains of bird flu have been transmitted to people, the CDC said.
The most common way it is transmitted is by direct contact between an infected bird and a human or by touching contaminated surfaces where there are infected birds.
It can also be transmitted to people through droplets or dust when an infected bird possibly flaps its wings, kicks up dust, or shakes its head around a human.
US bird flu outbreak
Earlier this month, the first human death caused by bird flu (H5N1) in the U.S. was confirmed in Louisiana.
That case came weeks after Canadian officials reported that a teen in British Columbia was hospitalized with a severe case of bird flu. In both instances, the illnesses were caused by a strain of the virus found in wild birds, not in cattle, officials said.
Louisiana’s severe bird flu case was also announced on the same day California's governor declared a state of emergency last month as the virus rampaged through dairy cattle there.
Since March, more than 60 bird flu infections in people have been reported in the U.S., but previous illnesses have been mild and most have been detected among farmworkers exposed to sick poultry or dairy cows.
Egg prices are up
The average price of a dozen Grade A large eggs was $4.15 in December, an almost $2 increase from the $2.51 per dozen in December 2023, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
One of the largest reasons for the increase is the recent bird flu outbreak.
The Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) was either directly or indirectly responsible for killing more than 20 million egg-laying hens in the last quarter of 2024, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Farms are required to cull all birds in an infected flock, devastating the egg industry.
Current health risk to public remains low
While the current public health risk for the general public remains low, according to the CDC, they said people who work with birds, poultry or cows, or have recreational exposure to them, are at higher risk.
They noted that the best way to protect yourself and your family from H5N1 is to avoid sources of exposure. That means avoiding direct contact with wild birds and other animals infected with or suspected to be infected with bird flu viruses.
The Source: Information for this article was gathered from a report from the World Organisation of Animal Health, the CDC and previous reporting by LiveNOW from FOX. This story was reported from Los Angeles.