The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) under the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the detection of an outbreak of the highly pathogenic H7N9 strain of avian influenza (HPAI) among broiler chicken breeder flock in a farm in Mississippi.

This is the first such outbreak of HPAI since 2017, as opposed to outbreaks in recent years of the H7 strain of Low Pathogenicity Avian Influenza (LPAI). It is a fully North American (AM) virus of wild bird origin and indicates a spillover from wild birds.

The flock was experiencing high mortality for which samples were tested at the Mississippi Veterinary Research and Diagnostic Laboratory and confirmed as HPAI at APHIS’ National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL).

As a part of the response plan, federal and state partners will test nearby flocks, while the USDA will report this to the World Organisation of Animal Health (WOAH) and international trading partners.

The US Centres for Disease Control (CDC) advised that there is a low risk of infectivity with this strain and to properly handle and cook the meat and eggs from poultry before consumption.