The H5N1 bird flu has been detected in a pig at a backyard farm in Oregon.
The Department of Agriculture announced on Wednesday, October 30, 2024, that the first case of the bird flu virus has been detected in the United States.
A virologist of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Richard Webby, said that pigs were the source of H1N1 flu pandemic and have been linked to other outbreaks.
"I think it probably doesn't increase the risk much, but surely, if this virus starts transmitting in pigs, that absolutely increases the risk," Webby further stated.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) disclosed that there is no harm to the nation’s pork supply from the first case, similarly the risk to the normal public is low amid bird flu.
In addition to this, the Oregon farm has been quarantined, and multiple animals like sheep and goats, are under observation.
According to USDA, the pigs and poultry on the farm were culled to prevent the spread of virus and allow further testing, meanwhile tests are pending for two of the pigs.
The USDA also stated that poultry and swine on the backyard farm shared water sources and housing equipment, all of which is a path for transmitting virus between animals in different states.
Notably, the bird flu virus has spread in more than 100 million poultry birds in the nation’s worst ever flu outburst since 2022.
