North Dakota is the most recent state to be added to the list of states that have confirmed cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).
In an update to its website during the afternoon of April 4, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) reported that HPAI had been confirmed in commercial turkey operations in the North Dakota counties of Dickey and Lamoure. The Dickey County flock involved 86,000 turkeys and the Lamoure County flock involved 26,000 turkeys.
While these are North Dakota’s first cases of HPAI in commercial poultry, the virus had previously appeared in two backyard flocks — one of which was located in Dickey County.
Other avian influenza cases
In addition to the North Dakota cases, APHIS reported new avian influenza confirmations in commercial turkey flocks, listed below by location and flock size:
- Sac County, Iowa — 37,200 turkeys
- Stearns County, Minnesota — 28,800 turkeys
- Wayne County, North Carolina — 16,900 turkeys
- Lake County, South Dakota — 58,900 turkeys
- Spink County, South Dakota — 43,300 turkeys
- Jasper County, Missouri — 35,300 turkeys
- Charles Mix County, South Dakota — 57,600 turkeys
- Edmunds County, South Dakota — 30,700 turkeys
APHIS specified that the Edmunds County case was a flock of turkey breeder replacement hens.
In addition to the cases in turkey flocks, APHIS also reported that HPAI has been confirmed in a commercial table egg breeder in Humboldt County, Iowa.
To date, HPAI has been confirmed in commercial poultry flocks in the following states: North Dakota, Kentucky, Delaware, Maryland, Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin, South Dakota, Indiana, North Carolina, Minnesota and Texas. The Texas case involved pheasants. The virus has also been confirmed in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Nova Scotia.
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.
