Avian flu appears in Nebraska backyard flockRaising the number of states to report highly pathogenic avian flu in backyard flocks or commercial poultry to 15, federal and state officials today announced the first outbreak in Nebraska.
In related developments, Missouri reported another outbreak in backyard poultry, and federal officials reported more H5 detections in wild birds, including the first from Ohio and Illinois.In Nebraska, the virus struck backyard birds in Merrick County, which is in the east central part of the state, according to a statement from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).The Nebraska Department of Agriculture said the outbreak follows recent detections in wild birds, one from Lincoln that was announced on Mar 7, with similar cases that followed in wild geese from Cedar and Douglas counties.Elsewhere, Missouri reported a fifth outbreak and its second in backyard birds.
The latest outbreak occurred in Ralls County in the northeastern part of the state, and federal officials said there were 225 mixed species birds at the site.Meanwhile, federal officials reported 18 more detections in wild birds, raising the total to 376.
They include the first from Ohio, which involves H5N1 in a herring gull found dead in Erie County, and the first from Illinois, involving three Canadian geese found dead in Will County.