A highly pathogenic avian influenza has been detected in a non-commercial backyard flock of birds on Long Island in New York, federal authorities confirmed Saturday. Samples from the flock were tested at the Cornell University Animal Health Diagnostic Center and confirmed at the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service laboratories in Ames, Iowa. New York state officials have quarantined the site in Suffolk County and birds on the affected properties “will be depopulated to prevent the spread of disease,” said the USDA in a statement, noting that birds from the flock will not enter the food system. READ: China reports human case of H10N3 bird flu, a possible first The virus has been detected at commercial turkey farms in southern Indiana, a flock of commercial broiler chickens in Kentucky and a backyard flock of mixed species birds in northern Virginia. State officials in Indiana confirmed Saturday the virus has been detected in a fourth commercial poultry flock in that state. Officials have begun euthanizing the 15,200 birds at the latest farm to prevent the spread of the disease. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control says the recent detections of the bird flu do not present an immediate public health concern. No human cases of these viruses have been detected in the U.S., according to the USDA.

Fisheries and Livestock Minister SM Rezaul Karim on Saturday said a vaccine policy will be formulated soon to control avian influenza. “A technical committee will be formed soon to formulate a vaccine policy to deal with avian influenza. The quality of vaccines being produced in Bangladesh will be improved further,” he said. The minister said the production of vaccines for all other diseases will be increased on the basis of their growing demand. “We’ve the capacity to do that. If necessary, more laboratories will be set up in the country.” He made the remarks while speaking at a seminar on the effectiveness of the avian influenza vaccine and strengthening the vaccination programmme at a city hotel. The Department of Livestock, Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute (BLRI) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations jointly organised the seminar. Read: Dhaka to receive 30 lakh more Sinopharm jabs this month