A highly pathogenic avian flu outbreak has been reported in a commercial poultry facility in Noxubee County, Mississippi, according to the state’s animal health board. The H7N9 strain, a virus type not seen in US poultry since 2017, was confirmed by the USDA National Veterinary Services Laboratory.
The birds have been safely depopulated and do not pose a risk to human consumption. The state is working with federal authorities to respond to the outbreak as part of a joint incident response team. This marks Mississippi’s third avian flu outbreak in commercial poultry since 2023, with multiple detections in migratory waterfowl in various parts of the state since November 2024.
The World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) has been notified about the outbreak, which began on March 8 when clinical signs were detected. Depopulation of nearly 48,000 birds was completed on March 13. This is the first high-path H7N9 confirmation in US poultry since a similar outbreak occurred in Tennessee in 2017.
Source: https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/avian-influenza-bird-flu/h7n9-avian-flu-strikes-mississippi-broiler-farm