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A Foster Farms turkey farm in California has been quarantined after the highly pathogenic H5N8 avian flu (bird flu) was discovered. The flu has been found in flocks in the Pacific Northwest. There was a spike in bird deaths at the Foster Farms facility. Foster Farms made news last year when their product was linked … Read more
A total of nine farms have now been affected by avian influenza H5N2 in British Columbia, Canada, according to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). The Fraser Valley farms are close to the farm where the outbreak began. This particular strain of the bird flu virus is highly pathogenic and very contagious. The province of … Read more
In spite of a massive bird flu outbreak, the USDA has approved import of poultry products from South Korea. The final rule grants equivalency status to the Republic of Korea. It becomes effective May 27, 2014. It reads “slaughtered poultry or parts or other products thereof processed in certified Korean establishments will be eligible for export … Read more
A new case of H5N8 bird flu in Korea has led to the culling of 50,000 chickens, according to The Chosun Ilbo. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs confirmed the case on Sunday, March 9, 2014. Now only Gangwon and Jeju provinces do not have birds with the virus. No human infections have … Read more
According to the Shanghai Daily, six more human cases of laboratory confirmed H7N9 bird flu have been reported in China. Two cases are in Shanghai and two more are in southern China. It is not clear if the patients had contact with live poultry. Three of the patients are hospitalized in serious or critical condition. … Read more
According to reports from the Xinhua news agency, a new positive test of the H7N9 bird flu was taken as an environmental sample at a live poultry market in southern China. That country has banned the sale of live birds in 110 markets around the country. The sample was taken from the Nanchao Market in … Read more
Officials in China have confirmed the first seasonal case of the H7N9 bird flu in a human being in that country. The person is hospitalized in critical condition. The 36-year-old patient had direct contract with live poultry. Four family members also have symptoms of the disease. This summer, there were 139 cases of the H7N9 … Read more
Chinese officials are trying to control bird flu outbreaks by occasionally suspending live poultry trading in 110 of the country’s poultry markets. The first suspension will be January 31, 2014 and will last until April 30, 2014. Last year, an outbreak of the H7N9 bird flu in China sickened 134 people and killed 43 in … Read more
The National Institutes of Health has begun testing the H7N9 avian flu vaccine. This strain of the flu first emerged in China last year, with 135 confirmed human cases and 44 deaths. No H7N9 infections have been reported outside of China, and the virus hasn’t demonstrated sustained person-to-person transmission, but it could mutate at any … Read more
The World Health Organization updated the status of the avian influenza A (H7N9) virus in China yesterday. The National Health and Family Planning Commission of China notified WHO of an additional fifteen lab-confirmed cases of the virus. Three additional deaths were reported. To date, there are 102 lab confirmed cases, including 20 deaths. Sixty-seven patients … Read more