APHIS acknowledges that “the number of recent interceptions is notable given the infrequency of such interceptions over the program's history.”

The United States has confirmed its first case of highly pathogenic H5N9 avian influenza in poultry, following an outbreak at a duck meat farm in Merced County, California, the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) stated Monday.

A new strain of bird flu, H5N9, has been detected for the first time in the United States, raising concerns about how it continues to spread.

Both H5N9 and H5N1 were detected at the duck farm in Merced County, according to tests conducted by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Veterinary Services Laboratory. The event began on November 23, with clinical signs that included increased deaths in the ducks.

A new strain of H5N9 bird flu was detected at a commercial duck operation in California's Merced County. All the ducks were euthanized.

USDA/APHIS and the CDFA are expanding the quarantine for sweet orange scab (SOS) in Orange County, California, due to a detection in a

The first confirmed case of H5N9 bird flu in the United States has been identified in Merced County, California, and control measures are being undertaken to contain the virus.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N9 has been identified in U.S. poultry for the first time, after outbreak at a commercial duck farm in California.

This story incorporates reporting fromU.S. News & World Report, cidrap.umn and scmp.com.The United States has reported its initial outbreak of the H5N9 bird flu strain in poultry, specifically at a duck farm in Merced County,

The H5N9 strain of avian influenza is much more rare than the H5N1 which has been responsible for most of the reported human cases and the first human death.

Bird flu infections around the U.S. have forced mass cullings and resulted in the deaths of zoo animals and pets

H5N9 is a rare subtype of the influenza A virus that can cause highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), also known as bird flu. It's a reassortment strain that originated from the H5N1, H7N9, and H9N2 subtypes.