Topics Related to Veterinary
High Path Avian Influenza has now been confirmed in 53 hunter-harvested wild waterfowl at three sites in North Carolina. These sites are Hyde County, a site located on the Pamlico/Beaufort County line and a new site in Bladen County. These are the first wild birds in the United States to have Eurasian H5 HPAI since 2016. The positive samples were collected by USDA as part of its ongoing surveillance program for early detection of HPAI in collaboration with state wildlife agencies.
A wild bird has tested positive for high path avian influenza in Hyde County, prompting reminders for commercial and hobby poultry growers to increase their biosecurity measures.
Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler recently promoted Dr. Michael P. Martin to serve as State Veterinarian. Martin previously served as Poultry Section Head for the Veterinary Division since 2012. In that role he had oversight of all poultry programs operations within the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Martin replaces Dr. Doug Meckes, who retires at the end of this month.
Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler is encouraging equine owners to have their animals vaccinated against Eastern Equine Encephalomyelitis and West Nile Virus.“Mosquito-breeding season in North Carolina lasts from spring until the first frost and horses are at risk if not properly vaccinated,” Troxler said. “EEE is fatal 90 percent of the time in horses and WNV has a fatality rate of 30 percent. But, both diseases are preventable by vaccination.”Last year, North Carolina saw its first case of EEE in late July. There were nine recorded cases of EEE in 2020.