Two new cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) have been confirmed in commercial turkey flocks in Missouri.
One of the cases, confirmed on March 8, involved a flock of 28,525 turkeys in Jasper County, while the other case was confirmed on March 9 and involved a flock of 37,770 commercial turkeys in Lawrence County.
While neither the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) nor the Missouri Department of Agriculture (MDA) has yet issued a press release to announce either case like they did in Missouri’s first HPAI case, some information concerning these cases could be found on the APHIS website.
The previous case in Missouri, confirmed on March 4, involved a flock of 240,000 broilers in Stoddard County.
So far in 2022, HPAI has been detected in commercial poultry flocks in seven states: Missouri, Indiana, Kentucky, Iowa, South Dakota, Maryland and Delaware. It has also been confirmed in commercial turkeys in Nova Scotia, Canada.
Missouri suspends waterfowl events
MDA announced that because HPAI has been confirmed in Missouri, the state has suspended all domestic waterfowl and waterfowl egg auctions, shows and swap meets through the end of May.
“The Missouri Department of Agriculture is working hard to contain and eliminate the virus,” Missouri State Veterinarian Steve Strubberg said. “Restricting comingling of domestic waterfowl is crucial to stopping the spread of avian influenza in Missouri. And, as always, we encourage producers to tighten biosecurity protocols.”
Additionally, poultry auctions, shows and swap meets are suspended in counties containing control areas or surveillance zones, determined by the MDA, until the virus has been eradicated. Poultry can still be sold and exhibited in unaffected counties, at this time, with strict biosecurity measures.
To learn more about HPAI cases in North American commercial poultry flocks, see an interactive map on WATTPoultry.com.
Read our ongoing coverage of the global avian influenza outbreak.
