The USDA confirmed a case of highly pathogenic avian influenza in a turkey flock in South Carolina and said on Thursday that all of the birds had been killed to prevent spread of the disease. It was the first case of “high path” bird flu in a commercial poultry plant in the United States since 2017.
No cases of the H7N3 avian influenza virus have been detected in people. The farm, in Chesterfield County, on the border with North Carolina and 50 miles southeast of Charlotte, was put in quarantine. State and federal officials “are working jointly on additional surveillance and testing in the nearby area,” said the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
Highly pathogenic avian influenza can spread rapidly through a flock and cause severe disease with a high mortality rate.
The 2014-15 epidemic of highly pathogenic avian influenza was the largest animal health disaster in the United States. Nearly 50 million birds, mostly laying hens and turkeys, died. Iowa farms lost 32 million birds, mostly chickens, and Minnesota growers lost 9 million birds, mostly turkeys.