A new outbreak of the deadly H7N9 strain of bird flu has been confirmed on a poultry farm in Noxubee, Mississippi, marking the first detection of this particular strain in the United States since 2017, Fox News reports.
The World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) confirmed the infection of 47,654 commercial broiler-breeder chickens on March 13th. Samples from the flock were tested at the Mississippi Veterinary Research & Diagnostic Laboratory and returned positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza, according to a press release from the State of Mississippi Board of Animal Health issued on March 12.
In response to the outbreak, authorities have quarantined the affected area and initiated the depopulation of the birds on the property to prevent further spread of the virus. The Mississippi board has assured the public that none of the infected birds entered the food system.
While the H5N1 strain of bird flu has been more prevalent in recent years, causing significant damage to poultry and even one human death, the H7N9 strain is considered particularly concerning due to its high mortality rate in humans worldwide, according to Reuters. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that since its initial detection in China in 2013, H7N9 has killed 616 out of 1,568 people infected globally.
Fortunately, neither H5N1 nor H7N9 has been found to transmit easily from person to person.
