New dashboard shows broad view of avian influenza sampling results in wild birds

The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) developed a publicly available dashboard that displays the results from nation-wide avian influenza virus (AIV) monitoring in wild bird populations.

Wild bird samples are routinely collected by the APHIS’ Wildlife Services (WS) National Wildlife Disease Program and screened for AIV at laboratories that are part of the National Animal Health Laboratory Network. Wild bird H5 and H7 AIVs can spillover into domestic poultry where they can exist as low pathogenic viruses or can mutate to high pathogenicity. High pathogenicity viruses can cause high mortality in poultry and in some wild bird species. All H5 and H7 findings are confirmed at the APHIS National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa.