Health
US Investigates Worrying Bird Flu Strain on Duck Farm in California
- International group reports first US case of H5N9 in poultry
- Virus has been linked to ‘severe human respiratory infections’
The H5N9 version is thought to come from a genetic combination of other bird flu viruses, including H5N1.
Photographer: Philippe Lopez/AFP/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
US officials are investigating the appearance of a strain of bird flu identified in the US for the first time, a worrying sign that the virus is evolving in ways that could make it harder to contain.
Detected on a duck farm in Merced County, California, it’s the first confirmed case of H5N9 in poultry in the US, according to the website for the World Organization for Animal Health, a Paris-based group focused on animal diseases.