New cases of bird flu have been identified in Pennsylvania and Utah, the USDA says

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WASHINGTON – New bird flu cases have been detected in a commercial poultry herd in Pennsylvania and in a backyard herd in Utah, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Saturday, and the outbreak has now spread to more than 30 states across the country.

Earlier this month, the department said it was considering vaccinations as an option to protect chickens against the deadly bird flu virus as the country faces the worst outbreak since 2015. The current outbreak has destroyed more than twenty million chickens and turkeys in business herds since February.

“Samples of the Pennsylvania herd were tested at the Pennsylvania Veterinary Laboratory, and samples of the Utah herd were tested at the Utah Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, part of the National Animal Health Laboratory Network,” the USDA said in a statement Saturday.

The USDA said federal and state officials were working together to monitor and monitor the area around the affected herds.

U.S. officials say recent cases of highly contagious bird flu have not provided immediate public health concerns.

Previously, the United States avoided vaccinations, fearing that importers would ban U.S. poultry exports because infected birds could not be distinguished from vaccinated birds. The United States is the world’s second largest poultry exporter. By 2020, the value of U.S. poultry and poultry exports to the world will reach $ 4.2 billion.

Bird flu has hit chickens in Europe and Asia other than North America, and the USDA is working with other countries on vaccine options.

Trade has been affected as importers like China have been prevented from importing from many US states.

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