Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Alabama Confirms 4th County With LPAI H7N9 - Additional Tests Pending

http://www.agi.alabama.gov/s/avian-influenza











#12,337

Without fanfare Alabama's Department of Agriculture has added a 4th county to their list of confirmed LPAI H7N9 locations, while local news reports indicate tests are pending from additional locations across the state.
Cullman county is located in the north central part of Alabama, albeit a bit south of the first three counties where the virus was detected.  No other details, apart from the listing on the chart, have been released.

Meanwhile, local news TV-12 (WSFA) and the Associated Press are reporting that samples are being testing in Covington County, very near the Florida state line, in extreme southern Alabama (see Samples being tested in Covington County for bird flu). That report states:
The State Veterinarian’s Office says, along with the Covington County sample, samples from other places are also being tested.

Meanwhile, a late afternoon check on the Ag sites for Tennessee (which has reported two HPAI, and 1 LPAI outbreaks), and Kentucky (which reported a single LPAI Outbreak), reveals no new reports. 

These LPAI and HPAI H7N9 avian viruses - while they share a common name with the China's H7N9 virus - are of a different lineage, and are therefore not expected to pose anywhere near the threat to human health as the Asian strain.