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Exotic Newcastle Disease (END), confirmed on October 1, 2002 in California, has now been eradicated. The disease has not been found in commercial poultry facilities since late March 2003. The state and federal quarantines originally encompassed 46,000 square miles, which included the following counties: Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, Santa Barbara, San Bernardino, San Diego, Ventura, and a small southeastern corner of Kern County.

On August 4, 2003, all but 7,300 square miles of the quarantine was released. This latest action lifts the entire quarantine in California, including the statewide poultry exhibition ban. However, CDFA retains the authority to monitor and test at poultry sale venues in an effort to prevent the introduction of highly contagious poultry diseases such as END.

Although it appears that END is near total eradication in the United States, nothing should be taken for granted. The infectious nature and hardiness of this disease is an ever-present reality, and we should all continue to take precautions to avoid the reintroduction of the disease.