Virulent Newcastle disease found in 2nd commercial flock in California
Virulent Newcastle disease (vND) has been confirmed in a second commercial poultry flock in California, the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced on January 8.
The latest case is in a commercial layer flock in Riverside County. This finding is part of an outbreak in southern California that began in May 2018 in backyard exhibition birds. The number of birds affected has not yet been revealed. The first recently confirmed case of vND in a commercial poultry flock also occurred in Riverside County. That case was confirmed by APHIS on December 15, 2018. In that case, about 110,000 six-week-old layer pullets were affected. All of those pullets were killed and disposed of, according to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE).
Both findings of vND in commercial layer flocks are part of an outbreak in southern California that began in May 2018 in backyard exhibition birds. Prior to December, the last confirmed case of vND in commercial poultry in the U.S. occurred in 2003.
Read more: vND Outbreak
