California reported a third human case of bird flu on Wednesday in a dairy worker who had contact with infected cattle and said the state identified two more possible cases in people.
Australia and New Zealand are bracing for the arrival of a destructive bird flu strain by tightening biosecurity at farms, testing shore birds for disease, vaccinating vulnerable species and war-gaming response plans.
Health officials in California are monitoring other exposed workers for symptoms on two dairy farms where two human cases of bird flu were confirmed on Thursday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
U.S. farmers are increasing pressure to allow vaccinations for chickens, turkeys and cows to protect them from bird flu infections that have devastated flocks for three years,
Farmers who plan to hunt geese and ducks this fall should take biosecurity measures to ensure they don't transmit high path avian influenza (bird flu) to their flocks and herds.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency recommends that farmers do not take dairy or beef cattle to shows or agricultural exhibitions in the United States to reduce the risk of spreading avian influenza (bird flu) to Canadian herds.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services said on Friday that a person hospitalized with bird flu was the first human case detected in the United States without any known animal exposure.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is testing to confirm possible cases of bird flu in dairy cattle in California, the nation's biggest milk-producing state, USDA said on Friday.