USDA confirms domestic flock infected with bird flu in Hawaii

(Reuters) -The United States Department of Agriculture confirmed the presence of bird flu in Hawaii on Monday, the first case of the virus in a domestic flock in the state since the current outbreak began in 2022.

The USDA said samples from the flock were tested at the Hawaii State Laboratories Division, part of the National Animal Health Laboratory Network, and confirmed at the agency's National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the virus has infected more than 100 million poultry flocks and spread to more than 10,000 wild birds and more than 500 dairy herds in the U.S.

However, the health authority has said that the public health risk associated with these bird flu detections in birds remains low.

The Hawaii Department of Health had first confirmed the case on Friday, adding that the virus detected in the state matches the strain that has infected dairy cows and domestic poultry on the U.S. mainland.

The health department had said that the current risk of transmission to Hawaii residents is low, adding that people should avoid direct contact with sick or dead birds, livestock, or wild animals.

(Reporting by Christy Santhosh in Bengaluru; editing by Alan Barona)

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