Two strains of avian flu detected in US, but neither is a health concern
Two strains of avian influenza, or “bird-flu”, were detected in wild birds in the north-western US state of Washington, a government agency said on Wednesday.
The two highly pathogenic strains found have been classified as HPAI H5N2 and HPAI H5N8. The former was present in northern pintail ducks and the latter in captive Gyrfalcons, which were fed hunter-killed wild birds, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said in a statement.
However, neither strain has been found in commercial poultry in the US, Canada or internationally, nor have any human cases involving them been detected.
There is no immediate public health concern relating to either of those viruses, USDA added.