USDA

USDA reports first U.S. case of H5N1 bird flu in a pig

October 31, 2024

USDA and Oregon state veterinary officials are investigating positive cases of H5N1 in a backyard farming operation in Oregon containing a mix of poultry and livestock, including swine. The Oregon Department of Agriculture announced on Friday, October 25, that poultry on the farm represented the first H5N1 detection in Crook County, Oregon. On Tuesday, October 29, the USDA National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) also confirmed one of the farm’s five pigs was infected with H5N1, marking the first detection of H5N1 in swine in the U.S.

The farm has been quarantined to prevent further spread of the virus. Other animals on the farm, including sheep and goats, remain under surveillance.

NVSL has conducted genomic sequencing of the virus from the poultry infected on this farm, and that sequencing has not identified any changes to the H5N1 virus that would suggest that it’s more transmissible to humans, suggesting that the current risk to the public remains low.

Source:

U.S. Department of Agriculture. (2024, October 30). Federal and State Veterinary Agencies Share Update on HPAI Detections in Oregon Backyard Farm, Including First H5N1 Detections in Swine. [Press release]. https://www.aphis.usda.gov/news/agency-announcements/federal-state-veterinary-agencies-share-update-hpai-detections-oregon