Cases of avian flu have been detected in alpacas on a farm in the northwest of the United States, the US Department of Agriculture announced on Tuesday, as this virus spreads on farms in the United States and that two human cases have been recorded there.
The National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) confirmed the detection of a highly pathogenic variant of avian influenza — HPAI H5N1 — “in alpacas at facilities where poultry infected with avian influenza had been removed in May 2024” , indicates the ministry in a press release.
This is the first time that the virus has been detected in alpacas, the press release said.
This camelid, native to the Andes, is raised mainly for its wool.
In recent years, the HPAI H5N1 variant has been found in more than 50 animal species, including since March in farmed cattle in the United States.
Around 50 herds in the country have been affected and two human infections have been reported. The two individuals diagnosed, farm workers, experienced attenuated symptoms, such as conjunctivitis.
Experts are concerned about the growing number of mammals infected with the disease, although cases in humans remain rare.
There is no evidence of human-to-human transmission at this time, but scientists fear that high circulation could facilitate a mutation of the virus that would allow it to pass from one human to another.
The World Health Organization (WHO) expressed “huge concern” in mid-April about the increasing spread of avian flu to new species.
