OFFICIALS DESTROY BIRDS IN KERN CO. PRESENCE OF FATAL DISEASE FOUND.Byline: Staff and Wire Services MOJAVE - State and federal agricultural officials killed more than 300 chickens and other birds at three properties outside Mojave after the first discovery of exotic Newcastle disease Newcastle disease, pneumoencephalitis, acute viral disease of domestic poultry. Newcastle disease is characterized by sneezing, coughing, and nervous behavior. Affected birds may show tremors, circling, falling, twisting of the head and neck, or complete paralysis. in Kern County. The discovery comes as agricultural officials continue to try to keep the highly contagious, fatal disease quarantined in Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, and away from San Joaquin Valley Noun 1. San Joaquin Valley - a vast valley in central California known for its rich farmland Calif., California, Golden State, CA - a state in the western United States on the Pacific; the 3rd largest state; known for earthquakes chicken ranches. ``This was still on this side of the Tehachapis,'' said Larry Cooper, a state Department of Food and Agriculture spokesman. ``That area is very close to L.A. County and some of the infestations we had there.'' Fighting the outbreak of a disease that has the potential to wipe out California chicken and turkey farms, state and federal agricultural officials since last fall have been testing birds and destroying infected flocks around the state - including in Littlerock, Lake Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. and elsewhere in the Antelope Valley This article is about the Los Angeles County region. For the census-designated place in Wyoming, see Antelope Valley-Crestview, Wyoming. The Antelope Valley . Exotic Newcastle disease is considered almost 100 percent fatal among chickens. The disease does not affect humans, and state agricultural officials say it does not make chicken meat or eggs unsafe to eat. In the Mojave area, the disease was discovered in a flock of game fowl after a man reported several sick fowl to an exotic Newcastle disease task force. Officials destroyed the man's 127 birds, as well as birds on two nearby properties. The birds included pheasants, roosters and chickens. It's unknown how the birds near Mojave became infected, but officials noted the disease's presence in the Los Angeles County portion of the Antelope Valley. Signs at the Kern County line warn people not to bring in chickens or other birds. Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara, Riverside, Orange, San Diego and Imperial counties were placed under quarantine after the disease was discovered in a backyard flock in October in the San Gabriel Valley The San Gabriel Valley is one of the principal valleys of southern California. It lies to the east of the city of Los Angeles, to the north of the Puente Hills, to the south of the San Gabriel Mountains, and to the west of the Inland Empire. . More than 3 million birds have been slaughtered since then. Officials don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. how the disease came into California. Cooper said there is a possibility the disease came from Mexico, which had an outbreak in 2000. |
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