The New Jersey Department of Health (NJDH) today announced that H5 avian flu has been confirmed in a feral cat from Hunterdon County that had severe disease, including neurologic symptoms, and was humanely euthanized. The detection was confirmed by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).

Other cats at the same property were sick, and a second H5 infection was found in an indoor-outdoor cat. Tests are pending on results from other cats, and an investigation is ongoing. Officials said the cats had no known exposure to infected poultry, livestock, raw milk, or raw meat, but roamed freely outdoors, where they may have had exposure to wild birds or other animals.
The NJDH and its local partners are monitoring people who were exposed to the cats, and all are currently without symptoms.
New Jersey Health Commissioner Kaitlan Baston, MD, said, "While the risk of H5 infection to the general population remains low at this time, it is important for people to learn more about the situation and take steps to avoid potential infection through exposure to animals, including feral cats."
Earlier this month, health officials in California's San Mateo County reported H5N1 in a stray cat that was taken in by a family.
Virus strikes more poultry farms in several states
In other H5N1 developments, APHIS over the past 2 days reported several more detections in poultry. They include multiple events at commercial duck and turkey farms in Indiana, as well as on a layer farm in Ohio and a commercial farm in Florida.
More outbreaks involving backyard flocks were reported in Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Michigan, Indiana, and Florida.