Two cases of New World screwworm confirmed in Doņa Ana County
By Jason Groves, Las Cruces Sun-News
Ft. Worth Star-Telegram
October 26, 2026
The U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed the first two new cases of New World screwworm in Doņa Ana County on Oct. 26.
According to the USDA database, the two Doņa Ana County cases were confirmed on Oct. 24 in cattle and a sheep. There are now 65 confirmed cases in the United States with 53 of those cases classified as inactive, according to the USDA. The first case in New Mexico was confirmed in June. New Mexico State Veterinarian's Office confirmed the active cases in Doņa Ana County. Dr. Alexandra Eckhoff said an infested zone has been declared along with a surveillance zone in the county.
Full text: https://www.star-telegram.com/news/nation-world/national/article317784534.html
Commissioner Miller Sounds Alarm as More New World Screwworm Cases Confirmed in West Texas
KSSTradio.com
October 26, 2026
AUSTIN - Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller is sounding the alarm following confirmation of two New World screwworm (NWS) cases in Hudspeth County, Texas, marking a troubling development in the ongoing battle to protect the state's livestock industry from one of the most destructive parasites in agriculture. On October 24, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National Veterinary Services Laboratories confirmed four new cases of New World screwworm, including two cattle in Hudspeth County, Texas, one cow in Doņa Ana County, New Mexico, and one ram in Doņa Ana County, New Mexico.
2. FFAR-Funded Research Advances U.S.-Based Vaccine for Emerging Poultry Disease
Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research
October 20, 2026
BROOKINGS, S.D. - A rapidly spreading respiratory disease is creating new challenges for U.S. poultry producers. New research aims to strengthen both immediate and long-term options for protecting chickens and turkeys.
The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR), South Dakota State University and the USPOULTRY are investing $250,000 through the Rapid Outcomes from Agricultural Research (ROAR) program to evaluate how well imported vaccines protect against U.S. strains of avian metapneumovirus and advance the development of a new vaccine based on a U.S. strain of the virus.
Why it matters: Avian metapneumovirus, or aMPV, is a highly contagious virus that causes respiratory disease in poultry. Subtypes A and B emerged in the U.S. in late 2023 and early 2024 and quickly spread across poultry-producing states, causing significant economic losses.
In response, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Center for Veterinary Biologics granted conditional approval for imported live attenuated vaccines based on European virus strains. After about a year of use, poultry producers and researchers have questioned how well these vaccines protect against genetically distinct strains circulating in the U.S.
H5N1 Hits Midwest Poultry Farms as Texas Reports Another Infected Dairy Herd [edited]
Vet Candy
October 15, 2026
Highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) is making another troubling appearance across American farms, with new detections reported at large poultry operations in Minnesota and Indiana and another dairy herd in Texas. The latest federal surveillance data show that the virus continues to threaten both poultry and dairy production, raising concerns about biosecurity, animal health, and the ongoing challenges of controlling a pathogen that moves between birds and mammals.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), six new H5N1 detections were reported during the latest weekly reporting period in early October. Among the most significant were infections at a commercial turkey farm in Stearns County, Minnesota, involving 34,400 birds, and a commercial duck meat facility in Jay County, Indiana, affecting 24,300 birds.
While poultry outbreaks remain a major concern, the detection of H5N1 in another Texas dairy herd demonstrates that the virus is also continuing to circulate in cattle.
USDA reported three infected dairy herds nationwide during the preceding 30 days, all located in Texas. The state identified its first infected dairy herd of 2026 in late May after cattle developed illness and decreased milk production, prompting quarantine and disease-control measures.
Full text: https://www.myvetcandy.com/news/2026/10/14/h5n1-bird-flu-minnesota-indiana-texas-outbreaks
Washington Bird Flu Outbreak Reaches Eight Yakima Dairy Herds as Worker's Mild H5N1 Case Is Confirmed
By Dorothy Books
MedicalDaily.com
October 26, 2026
Bird flu has been confirmed in eight dairy herds in Yakima County, Washington, and federal testing has confirmed that a worker exposed at one of those dairies was infected with H5N1. The worker did not have severe illness and was not hospitalized, and officials say the risk to the general public remains low.
The CDC's weekly flu report for week 41, published October 23, said the adult dairy worker developed eye irritation and upper respiratory symptoms. State testing found an H5 virus, and CDC testing identified it as H5N1. It is the first H5 bird flu case linked to a dairy worker in Washington.
Full text: https://www.medicaldaily.com/washington-bird-flu-yakima-dairy-worker-eight-herds-480428
4. Chronic Wasting Disease Confirmed in Farmed Cervid in Hillsdale County [MI]
MDARD News Release
October 20, 2026
LANSING, MI - The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) is reporting a detection of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in a farmed cervid from Hillsdale County, which was identified through the state's CWD surveillance program.
"While regular surveillance leads to early detection and is a fundamental piece of the response effort, MDARD's ongoing collaboration with herd owners, their veterinarians, and our federal partners is crucial to managing the disease for the long-term," said State Veterinarian Dr. Nora Wineland, DVM, MS, DACVPM. "Ensuring the health of Michigan's farmed cervid population has been and continues to be a team effort."
5. University of Kentucky to host third annual One Health Symposium on Nov. 3
Attendees will engage in discussions with experts centered on optimal health for people, animals and the environment. Registration is open.
By Christopher Carney
Univ. of Kentucky News
October 15, 2026
LEXINGTON, Ky.- The University of Kentucky Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment and the One Health Initiative invite the UK campus community, along with local and state stakeholders, to the 2026 One Health Symposium on Nov. 3 in concert with celebrating International One Health Day.
This year's symposium is designed to further inform and inspire attendees about One Health - a collaborative effort to improve the health of animals, people and the environment. Attendees will have an opportunity to join UK's One Health Initiative, a hub for collaborative research, instruction, Extension and outreach efforts in advancing One Health in Kentucky and beyond.
The speaker lineup will cover a variety of One Health topics, including antimicrobial resistance; public and environmental health; salmonella; workforce development; climate change and vector-borne diseases; and toxin-producing fungi.
Full text: https://news.mgcafe.uky.edu/article/university-kentucky-host-third-annual-one-health-symposium-nov-3
6. Register and join us for the next ZOHU Call on November 4, 2 - 3 pm ET.
CDC
October 26, 2026
Presentations:
Multistate Foodborne and Zoonotic Enteric Disease Outbreaks, 2024
By Grace Vahey, MPH, DVM, DACVPM; Senior Epidemiologist
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
AND
Sarah Collier, MPH
Deputy Branch Chief; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Brucellosis in the United States, 2010 - 2024: On the Scent of B. canis
By Nekole Locke, MPH;
Epidemiologist
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
AND
Dawn Blackburn, BVMS, MSc, DACVPM
Veterinary Medical Officer
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Register: https://tinyurl.com/22ozfbyk
7. MDARD Announces Detection of Bovine Tuberculosis-Positive Herd in Alcona County [MI - edited]
MDARD Press Release
October 16, 2026
LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) is reporting a case of bovine tuberculosis (TB) in a cattle herd from Alcona County, part of Michigan's Modified Accredited Zone (MAZ). The herd was identified as part of the routine annual whole herd surveillance testing that occurs in the MAZ.
"Bovine TB is a persistent, complex disease, which is why routine surveillance testing remains an essential disease management tool. Every test helps us to determine where bovine TB is and to improve our understanding of how it might be shifting across Michigan's landscape, improving our capacity to respond to this disease," said State Veterinarian Nora Wineland, DVM, MS, DACVPM. "MDARD along with agency partners, producers, and stakeholders continue to be steadfast in our commitment to protect animal and public health throughout the state."
While MDARD and other state and federal agencies are taking significant steps to manage bovine TB within the MAZ through routine surveillance testing of cattle herds, mandatory animal identification, required movement certificates, and wildlife biosecurity programs, deer hunting in the northeastern Lower Peninsula continues to be an important tool in combatting this disease and maintaining healthy deer, healthy cattle, and healthy people.