The first case of bird flu has reached San Diego County as the epidemic spreads across the country.
A dead black bird found in Lake San Marcos last week tested positive for bird flu. San Diego Union Tribune.
An unknown party found the body and turned it over to the California Institute of Animal Health and Food Safety in San Bernardino, a spokesman for the California Department of Food and Agriculture, he told local media. After laboratory tests were performed, samples from the body were confirmed to be positive for bird flu.
Samples will be forwarded to the USDA-supervised National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa for virus strain determination.
US zoos respond to bird flu outbreak as infection rate rises
The United States is currently experiencing the worst bird flu epidemic in years. As previously reported, he has infected 47.6 million birds this year, with 42 states affected, according to data provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Between January and July of this year, more than 5 million birds died from the disease in the United States. Infectious diseases and deaths have led to export bans, turkey shortages and reduced egg production, fueling higher food prices.
Colorado reports first human case of H5 bird flu in US in poultry workers
Avian influenza is a highly contagious pathogen that spreads from bird to bird, usually through bodily fluids, and affects the nervous and respiratory systems. This year, due to the movement of wild birds due to migration, more diseases are prevalent than usual.
However, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it is extremely rare for humans to get bird flu.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP