USDA Confirms More H5N1 Avian Flu Detections in Nevada

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has confirmed several H5N1 avian flu detections in Nevada, along with other detections in U.S. poultry flocks. CIDRAP has the news.

The virus has been detected in “dairy cattle in Churchill County” in Nevada, which borders the county the virus was detected in in early December 2024. Dairy cattle in “both of the counties have been placed in quarantine, and the USDA investigators begin surveillance and testing wildlife to better determine which strains are circulating and how the virus is spreading.”

There are also steps being taken to remove “non-native European starling populations in Churchill, Pershing, and Lyon counties. The NDA called the starling removal a ‘critical step’ and that due to their large numbers, the birds are a nuisance population that can spread disease and contaminate animals' food and water sources.” These cases and an additional detection in a California dairy herd have pushed the national total to 956.

Additionally, more detections have been confirmed in poultry farms in seven states.

More details have also emerged regarding a human case of the virus in the United Kingdom. The patient “had mild respiratory symptoms and irritated eyes. One symptomatic household member tested negative, and health officials are tracing contacts and offering antiviral medication to those at high risk.”