Avian Influenza in North America spring 2022

In this podcast, aviNews International talked with Dr. Edgar Oviedo about his article, “Avian Influenza in North America Spring 2022”, written with Dr. Rocio Crespo and published in the June 2022 edition of the magazine. Dr. Oviedo is the technical director of aviNews International, a professor at the Prestage Department of Poultry Science at North Carolina State University, and a poultry consultant in more than 40 countries. Avian influenza (AI) is a broad term used to describe infection or disease in birds caused by the Type A influenza virus of the genus Alphainfluenzavirus and family Orthomyxoviridaevirus. The virus is distributed worldwide and can infect many avian species. It can also cause a range of disease symptoms, from subclinical infections to highly virulent diseases with close to 100% mortality, and even has a zoonotic risk, a major concern for a potential pandemic. Since December 2021, the H5Nx Gs/GD Eurasian HPAI lineage (clade 2.3.4.4) has affected wild birds and non-commercial and commercial poultry in North America. The first detection occurred in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, in black-backed gulls and a backyard flock with mixed poultry species.