A “highly pathogenic” bird flu has been found in a flock in a Long Island backyard flock, federal officials said Saturday.
The influenza was confirmed among the flock in Suffolk County through samples tested at Cornell University Animal Health Diagnostic Center, the United States Department of Agriculture said.
State officials quarantined the affected area, while birds in the area will be depopulated to prevent the spread of virus.
New York and federal agencies are working jointly to surveil and test areas that could harbor infected birds.
Officials said the cases of “highly pathogenic” avian influenza do not present an immediate public health concern.
“Birds from the flock will not enter the food system,” the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said, while reporting earlier this week said that avian flu has been found in a commercial poultry flock in Kentucky and backyard bird flock in Virginia.
“The United States has the strongest AI (avian influenza) surveillance program in the world, and USDA is working with its partners to actively look for the disease in commercial poultry operations, live bird markets and in migratory wild bird populations,” the statement said.
The USDA reported the discovery of the Eurasian H5 avian influenza in South Carolina last month.
Officials did not name the type of birds, or the specific Long Island community, where the virus was discovered.