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 The USDA on Friday reported the nation's first case of a Eurasian H5
type of the virus since 2016 and on Tuesday said all three cases are
the H5N1 strain. That strain has caused a wave of outbreaks of bird
flu in poultry across Europe and Asia.
H5N1 is one of the few bird flu strains that has passed to humans,
though U.S. officials said there was a low risk to people from the
case confirmed on Friday.
The infections are disappointing because it is rare for a Eurasian
strain to make its way to North America, said Carol Cardona, a
professor of avian health at the University of Minnesota.
"Avian influenza viruses tend to stay in their hemisphere," she
said.
The latest U.S. cases were in Colleton County in South Carolina,
where Friday's infection was found in a wild duck, and in Hyde
County in North Carolina, the USDA said.
Wild birds can transmit avian flu to each other or to poultry
through direct contact and through their feathers or feces.
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 "These findings are not
unexpected, as wild birds can be infected with
HPAI and show no signs of illness," the USDA
said. "They can carry the disease to new areas
when migrating."
The USDA advised poultry producers to review safety
measures to assure the health of their flocks and said people should
wear gloves when dealing with wild birds.
Cardona said poultry producers need to make sure the virus cannot
enter their barns.
"Poultry producers are going to be busy this spring," she said.
"They have to check the doors and windows every day, twice a day, 10
times a day."
The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) said on Tuesday that
Spain reported an outbreak of H5N1 bird flu on a farm north of
Madrid.
(Reporting by Tom Polansek; Editing by Leslie Adler and Sandra Maler)
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