HPAI confirmed in second Kentucky flock, NY backyard birds

Highly pathogenic avian influenza has been confirmed in a second commercial poultry flock in Kentucky, and a backyard flock in New York.

Roy Graber Headshot
(Austin Alonzo)
(Austin Alonzo)

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has been confirmed in a second commercial poultry flock in Kentucky, while the virus has also been confirmed in a backyard flock in New York, making it that state’s first case.

Both of those cases were announced by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).

Meanwhile, the Indiana State Board of Animal Health (BOAH) announced that the virus has been detected in a fourth commercial turkey flock, but the tests have yet to be confirmed.

Avian influenza confirmed in Kentucky turkey

According to APHIS, HPAI was confirmed in a commercial turkey flock in Webster County, making it the second confirmed case in commercial poultry in the state in 2022.

The virus was earlier confirmed in a commercial broiler flock in Fulton County, according to an APHIS announcement released on February 14. At the time that case was confirmed, APHIS announced that the Webster County turkey flock had tested positive, but those tests had not yet been confirmed at the National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) in Ames, Iowa. 

While that case was finally confirmed, APHIS has not yet released details on the size of that flock, or the broiler flock in Fulton County. However, Reuters earlier reported that the affected broiler flock consisted of 240,000 birds.

Avian influenza in New York backyard flock

APHIS on February 19 reported the confirmed presence of HPAI in a non-commercial backyard flock of “non-poultry” birds in Suffolk County, New York.

APHIS is working closely with state animal health officials in New York on a joint incident response. State officials quarantined the affected premises, and birds on the properties will be depopulated to prevent the spread of the disease.

One more suspect case in Indiana

Indiana has had two confirmed cases of HPAI in commercial turkeys, and now it has two suspect cases. The two confirmed cases were both in Dubois County. Earlier, BOAH revealed that a turkey flock in Greene County was awaiting confirmation of an HPAI infection, and that depopulation was pending.

An updated message on the BOAH website said that a second turkey flock in Greene County was awaiting confirmation of the presence of HPAI and that depopulation was pending, while the first Greene County flock which included 48,000 turkeys, had been depopulated. The second Greene County flock includes 15,400 turkeys.

The two Dubois County flocks collectively consisted of 55,473 turkeys, which brings the total number of turkeys to be depopulated in the state to more than 103,000.

Other states with confirmed cases

In addition to Kentucky, Indiana and New York, HPAI has also been confirmed in Virginia, New Hampshire, Delaware, Connecticut, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida.

The virus has been found in both a backyard flock and in wild birds in Virginia. The remainder of those states have only had HPAI  confirmed in wild birds.

HPAI has also been confirmed in Canada, in the provinces of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador.

View our continuing coverage of the global avian influenza situation.

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